Dear Charlie,
Today would have been your first day of 7th grade. Another milestone, another step into middle school. But for you, school looks a little different. Your class is small, just five kids, ages 12 to 16, and your path isn’t quite the same as most.
While kids your age are busy with essays, group projects, and pre-algebra, you’re still working on the basics. You’re practicing holding a pencil, learning letters, and numbers. While other kids look forward to hanging out with friends at school, you move through the world alone.
I’d love nothing more than to hear you burst through the door with stories about your day, or even to hear you complain about homework. But that’s not our life together, and I’ve had to accept that.
The gap between your world and your peers’ world grows a little wider each year, and that’s hard to watch. Still, I hold onto the progress you’re making, no matter how different it looks.
This year, what matters most is the same: you are safe, and you are happy. I fought hard for that, for a school where your needs are understood, where you can be yourself, and where you don’t have to struggle just to belong. Knowing you’re safe and happy… that means everything.
With all my love,
Mom
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