I guess the words that stand out to me are conforming, usual, typical, and expected. If you want to be picky, my family does not conform to the strict definition of normal because we are not "free from physical or mental disorders". But, I have a different viewpoint. Bear with me while I explain.
I think there are many different kinds of normal. Just like it is normal in France to speak French andnormal in Australia to speak English as those languages are usual, typical and expected in thosecountries. Just like in one house hold it is normal to eat cornflakes for breakfast and in another it isnormal to eat bacon and eggs for breakfast. Just like in my house the normal- usual, typical, expectedbehaviours include mania, depression, sensory overload meltdowns and dependence on routine andpredictability and in your house those things would be out of place. These are normal in our house because we have people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder and Bipolar Disorder in our family.
Hence the name of this blog- "different kinds of normal". One of the things that is extremely important to me as a mother to children with disabilities is to do everything in my power to reduce the stigma they face as a result of being different than most people, and to advocate for understanding and acceptance of all people.
I don't have lots of time. I certainly don't have lots of money. A lot of the time I don't even have much energy left over after doing the things I do in my parenting role. But I do have time and energy to write. It is good therapy for me, as well as being a way to communicate with the world what life is like in our family.
So, I write. And I hope that somehow my writing reaches people and tells them about our normal and helps them understand that everyone is valuable and has something to offer. I hope that my writing helps to reduce stigma and increase understanding.
I have been blogging for almost a year at "Amazing Adventures- my journey parenting Autistic children". I have just started blogging at "Being OK with Bipolar". Both of those blogs are linked to this one so you can find everything easily. To read more specifically about Autism or Bipolar just click on the links at the top of the page. Information about Sensory Processing Disorder will mostly be found in the Autism blog because in our family it is my Autistic daughter who has SPD and so the two are tied in together for us. I also write regularly for the Aussie Mum Network, and you can find my posts for them here.
This blog is a linking point for everything that is on my mind, more than anything. It serves as a central place where I can write more generally, while acknowledging the individual aspects that contribute to forming my opinions and influencing my actions. It (hopefully) will tie things together while allowing you as readers to easily pick and choose the things you are most interested in knowing about and finding them quickly. I will post general thoughts on just about any topic, and also post to let you know when new posts are added on the other blogs. That's the plan- let's see how it goes!
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