Sure, I understand that the Lord chose me to raise her and her unique personality. For years and years, I’ve helped her embrace her uniqueness. And just like everyone has their ups and downs, I’m traveling down the hill at the moment, and I see junior high up ahead with a huge year of transitions and changes fast approaching.
As far as I know, none of my daughter’s peers have Aspergers. I am so frustrated that these “normal” kids never invite her anywhere or to anything. It’s heart-crushing. Of course we have invited kids here many times before, but play dates are usually a one-time deal and not reciprocated.
No, I don’t want to change my daughter, but how is anyone to survive without friends?
This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever faced in my life. It kills me to see so much pain and loneliness in my daughter’s eyes. I’m glad for you, though, that things seem to be working on your end.
I sympathize with you greatly and have been there myself. But the more I thought about it, did I really want my daughter to hang out with the girls in her grade? Honestly, my daughter wanted a friend, just not a friend that couldn’t understand her. Constantly she would tell me I don’t fit in with the girls, I’m not like them. That was true, she was not mean or judgmental or caddy. She has always been the only girl in the resource class, because more boys have learning problems then girls. So her and I had a talk about why couldn’t she have a boy as a friend. And now she has about 3 really good guy friends. If your daughter has no peers in her school with Asperger’s then maybe you can look into your Community and see if they offer clubs. I am surprised that your School has not taken this in consideration as part of your daughter’s transition? The friend(s) she will make is going to be worth the wait. We have found that to be the case. If the people you are inviting don’t reciprocate or return, they are not going to be a good friend. Do you really want your daughter hanging out with those types of kids? It is their loss not hers. She deserves so much better. You are not going to change the Asperger’s but you can change the negativity you feel into positivity. If you see the young population considered the “norm” today how many are on drugs, pregnant, suicidal (heard 3 already this year), need medicine for extreme anxiety, runaway, the list is endless. With our daughters they just don’t see the world in that way to have those problems. If having a slow time at getting a true friend is the worst we have to experience, life is good. I know things are going to work for you too, we are lucky. God Bless.