humanity
Humanity begins at home.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Add Sugar
The Inception It was the summer of 2019. I was working as a summer school one-on-one instructional aide for the most unique kid, Dean. He had a deep love and uncanny knowledge of trains. He could memorize and recite entire movie scenes. That summer, he was obsessed with the famous “fish are friends, not food” scene from Finding Nemo. And nature seemed to respond to him differently, like they knew he wasn’t a threat. Dean was on the mild side of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but still used “fidgets” to help self-soothe when he felt over-stimulated. He loved fidgets that were spongy, spiky, soft, and sandy. Being his one-on-one aid helped me to understand the shared frustration of student and caretaker alike to constantly measure and meet the need to self-soothe in moments that were over or underwhelming.
By Lindsey Dominguez5 years ago in Families
Pie in the Sky is Not That High
You hear about the good old days, the days when you could buy a candy bar for a few cents, or buy a week's worth of groceries for $10- the time where a grandfather could put a dime in your hand and it was worth a pack of gum or two. A time when a shop owner knew your name and your family. It was when people took time out of their day to talk to you. Those days are gone. I have walked through stores over my few years of life and watched as the prices grew, the stores got larger and the personal touches that came with them faded away into oblivion. I have seen my mother's eyes widen every year as the week's groceries cost more and more. I have watched as the small hometown stores got replaced by larger companies, and the ones that didn’t had to evolve, advance themselves, and lose their natural charm in order to survive. I know that it doesn’t have to be this way, so why is it?
By Alizabeth Erskine5 years ago in Families
Just One of the Boys.
I grew up with a fairly big family, lots of aunts and uncles. My mother was one of six and my father one of five. When the two of them decided to get married they were blessed with four. My mom tried to stop after two boys, but when she went to have her tubes tied the routine pregnancy test ruined her plans. So, then there were four—my two older brothers, and then me and my twin sister. If it wasn’t hard enough growing up with two older brothers, when my sister and I were four, my parents bought a house on a street with all boys. My sister and I were the only two girls out of the fifteen kids living down Gapway, and she fit in better than I.
By Natalie Stover5 years ago in Families
