The prinicpal’s office at my grade school had a bright blue rug and wallpaper with blue roses in it. I know this so well all these years later because I spent a LOT of time there. I think I went once a week.
The principal did not mind at all. She was usually trying to stifle a laugh as I explained the latest reason for being sent there. Actual reasons include the following
“Sister said that the baby Jesus never cried and I said that if he never cried Mary wouldn’t know when to feed him or change him.”
“I said that we had old textbooks and that we had been to the moon and no one lived there. The teacher thinks the moon launch was fake.”
And so it went. Every week I was sent to see Sr. Margaret George for questioning authority. I never hit, choked or acted antisocial I just refused to accept things that seemed untrue, and she usually spent a lot of time trying to keep a straight face. I learned that yes, questioning authority can get you kicked out of places you probably never wanted to be anyway. But ignorning reality had a higher price
Which is why we are alive today.
Trust me. Saying that you think your child is ill because of bread and milk did not go over well. I got that soft voice they use with crazy people. My refusal to feed my child gluten for two months so his endoscope would work got me fired by a doctor. It is not easy. In my case it was so hard I often thought I would never make it.
Until I did.
Look, getting people to see that you really truly cannot eat any gluten, dairy or corn is not fun. It is painful. It is scary. There are people who reject you for standing up for yourself. There are people who still think these disorders are “made up”.
It is not fun. A lot of people will push the limits.
All I can tell you is that it is so worth it. Fight. Fight for yourself and fight for your childrem.
Live can be different.
It just isn’t easy.
