Every child is different. Ally is easily my most challenging child. We're not alike. She's artistic and creative. I'm not. She's a roller coaster of emotions. My feelings tend to be more akin to a train ride in across Kansas. We have a few commonalities: overly sarcastic, smart mouth, good looking, humble; but by and large, we're very different.
Last night, she smiled and had a good time practicing volleyball. All is well. (or so I thought) After practice, she jumped in the car. We talked about rather innocuous subjects: school and volleyball.
After a few moments of silence, I realize she's sobbing.
Woah. Where'd that come from? Is she sleeping? Nope. She definitely sobbing. What did I say? No really... what words came out of my mouth 3 minutes ago that caused this?
And then she dropped these five words on me through her tears...
"I Don't Fit In Anywhere."
hmm.
Isn't that one of life's big problems. We're all searching for a place to 'fit in.'
I talked with a lifelong friend this past weekend about his struggles moving from Africa back to the U.S. He and his family were having trouble finding their place in the mid-American rat race. He didn't feel as though he 'fit' in America.
This weekend another friend of mine talked about not having close adult friends despite living in the same town for a few years. He was a square peg in a community of round holes.
Aren't we all just searching for a place to be welcomed? Even thinking beyond Maslow's hierarchy, don't we spend most of our time doing things to be "normal?"
I feel for my daughter. I hate that she's hurting. Yet, I know it's a part of life. We all search for community. We all yearn for like-minded individuals that will accept us for our true self. Unfortunately our search for inclusiveness doesn't end in 7th grade. It's just the beginning.
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