Thanks CBS

The CBS network has finally done for Autism what the parents of children with Autism have been trying to do. They have finally put a face on Autism and shown it's not a freak thing. It's not a disability. It is how a person is wired. Sheldon Cooper is my hero and the actor, Jim Parsons, deserves all awards for his portrayal of this character. The creators of this show emphatically deny any similarities of this character but many of us believe  - he has Autism. Lack of social skills, rule maker but not breaker, highly intelligent. The list goes on. He doesn't get sarcasm, focuses on himself, not sure how to show emotion. Many of those traits are common in our loved ones with Autism. That show reinforces my belief that my battle is true.
The past week's battle with my local school system proven to me yet again that I am needed to stand up for people. Lack up understanding and real education seem to be the problem. I have met so many educators that spout to me their credentials with Autism. Living with it 24/7 and learning everyday to help your child is the real education. What a professor tells me and what reality is are far apart in thought process. Each and every child with Special Needs is different. Their personality is what makes them tick and their "disability" is part of the steering mechanism. I don't even like the word "disability". If you are not under the name "normal" then you have a disability. Being different, wired different, looking at the world different means that you are just that - different.
However, after praising CBS for their great demonstration of Autism, I must also thank them for the rest of the guys. The other three guys are prime examples of what society refers to as geeks or nerds. These guys are a great example of another group of people who are misunderstood. These are the kids made fun of at school until they are needed to fix computers or come up with the answers for the class. They are not the athletes, the prom queens or anything else that kids put in the popular category. I am not showing any disrespect for these kids. Those are some of the basic titles used by our kids.
Hopefully with this program and possibly other programs like it, we can teach our kids and ourselves that the world is full of different people. It takes all of them to make the world work. In my household, geek and nerd are a compliment right along with beautiful and athletic. We need to teach our kids to be proud of who they are and not tear down those that are different. It takes a village to be a village.