Oh, yes, my parents pushed me harder to socialise and do things than they did my sisters (although if you were to ask them, they'd say I was let off easy).  My teachers were rather easy-going about pushing us to excel until the 5th grade, when my teacher then woke up to the fact that a few of us brighter disabled students were going to be mainstreamed and we were woefully unprepared for it.  So thus began a two-year effort to bring us up to speed, which I hated at the time, being rather lazy about studying, but later, I was quite grateful.

Kat

"St. John's University Cerebral Palsy List" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Unfortunately, there wasn't any "bs"-ing.  Everything I said I did--I really
did.  The problem was my selfish attitude.  I think it stemmed from some
sort of weird reverse self-pity and the need to be the center of attention.
I still struggle with it.  My self-esteem in high school (like a lot of us)
was pretty low, especially when it came to girls.  I tried so hard to be
anything but me, and, to my shame, I succeeded.  I wonder how many disabled
kids (both genders) kill themselves trying to be "cool" and the best at
whatever they set out to do?  When I look back, I see my family as
supportive of the things I wanted to accomplish, but I wonder now if they
felt like they needed to push me harder than my brother.  My parents still
think it's neat that I did all this stuff, but I'm not sure they ever think
about the cost.  Even worse, they probably still think a lot of that
over-reaching was worth it.  Were your parents that way?

Brent sounds like he had a similar background.  What's your read, Brent?
Bobby?  Kat?

-----Original Message-----
From: Barber, Kenneth L. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 1:30 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: kyle's varied past


okay i did follow that with the question of the color of your shoes, to
indicate a cirtain amount of bs-ing was going on, butseriously you are right
on. don't be too hard on yourself, lots of people never get it, ever! you
have gotten it now.