As an odd kid myself, I don't believe that you can force the odd out of a kid like that. In simplistice terms, either the odd gets surpressed so much that the kid is slightly warped for the effort or the kid gets depressed and frustrated and resistant. In either case, the odd will eventually out because it is part of the truth of that person. Yeah, ITA. I was an odd kid too. Somehow - and I'm pretty sure my mom had a lot to do with it - I grew up to value that oddness and see it as a positive, though it wasn't always easy to keep that in mind at school.
I think part of a parent's role is to prepare a child to be himself whilst being able to live well in the world around him. That means that the child is going to have to learn to do a lot of accomodating in a lot of areas in order to function, in order to hold a job, have friends and support, stay out of fights, or find a partner if this is something they want. Yeah, and it's tough when the parents aren't terribly sure what needs accomodating and what doesn't. I think Daniel's incessant chatterboxness is a huge fault, and will make other kids avoid him. And yet he's got a number of friends who seem to really enjoy following him as he paces back and forth yammering for hours on end. At least, they seem to enjoy it, judging from how they invite him over, ask to come visit, and always seem very reluctant to part at the end of a playdate.
In addition, they are going to have to learn to do a lot of self supporting on those things that they have chosen to do out of step with the rest of the world because the world/society is going to fight them every step of the way. It's really hard, too, when they don't even realize that they're out of step. They just get puzzled by rejection, with no idea of why they're being rejected.
"To be nobody but yourself, in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you like everybody else...means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." (e.e. cummings) Words of wisdom. Damn, I'm going to print that out and put it next to my computer.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-08-07 03:57 am (UTC)Yeah, ITA. I was an odd kid too. Somehow - and I'm pretty sure my mom had a lot to do with it - I grew up to value that oddness and see it as a positive, though it wasn't always easy to keep that in mind at school.
I think part of a parent's role is to prepare a child to be himself whilst being able to live well in the world around him. That means that the child is going to have to learn to do a lot of accomodating in a lot of areas in order to function, in order to hold a job, have friends and support, stay out of fights, or find a partner if this is something they want.
Yeah, and it's tough when the parents aren't terribly sure what needs accomodating and what doesn't. I think Daniel's incessant chatterboxness is a huge fault, and will make other kids avoid him. And yet he's got a number of friends who seem to really enjoy following him as he paces back and forth yammering for hours on end. At least, they seem to enjoy it, judging from how they invite him over, ask to come visit, and always seem very reluctant to part at the end of a playdate.
In addition, they are going to have to learn to do a lot of self supporting on those things that they have chosen to do out of step with the rest of the world because the world/society is going to fight them every step of the way.
It's really hard, too, when they don't even realize that they're out of step. They just get puzzled by rejection, with no idea of why they're being rejected.
"To be nobody but yourself, in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you like everybody else...means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." (e.e. cummings)
Words of wisdom. Damn, I'm going to print that out and put it next to my computer.
Thanks :) :)