I’m spending more time in reflection now that my parents are no longer here. I find reflection helps me continue to equate and understand why things turned out for me in my life the way they did, up to this point.
It doesn't help me turn back the clock and change things, but it does help me see their issues were never mine to own. When it came to sport in school, it was common for children to feign illness to get out of certain sports, so much so that children would write their own sick note, just to be excused.
In my own case, I had a valid reason. I would plead with mum for her to write me a sick note, particularly when it came to the high jump, but without the sick note my teachers wouldn't listen.
I was told I would need a sick note to be excused. With cerebral palsy how does that work? As parents their behaviour seemed incorrigible.
I got completely out of physical education by getting the doctor to write a note. I think dealing with severe allergies and coming in contact with the outdoor pollen and grass and the indoor dust would make my allergies worse.
I was on allergy injections at the time and other meds. I guess I had a little bit of asthma that I've since outgrown, but I had to join chorus instead of my physical education, which was all fine with me because I liked to sing and took voice training outside of school.
I got out of PE due to my size of my bust and I couldn't do the exercises they required of us. My parents petted me due to having diabetes. I see now how this all wasn't such a good idea. I think now that PE is essential for physical health.
There were other things I did do to get my exercise though like dance lessons which I did for 9 years and taught dance to the little kids. I really enjoyed it and wish I hadn't stopped. I can't even get on point now because I've let my leg muscles go to mush.
Your parents should have realized that there were things you couldn't do and not only did it cause you stress, I'm sure you were picked on by other kids due to this. I was horribly picked on due to my size. It was humiliating!
Gosh Lisa I'm sure you'll feel better now talking about what you went through. Sometimes we have to say what we feel. I don't remember being picked on in school, but you're right it did cause me a lot of stress.
I don't remember being put off by it all though, I just got on with it. Looking back, I'm still in disbelief that these are actually my experiences.
Because my CP was more severe than yours, I was never expected to participate in sports at all.
The biggest thing I ever did was to shoot basketballs in the hoops. It made me in some ways feel left out but that was the nature of having CP and dealing with it. I had no other choice.
You were probably lucky in some respects but not in others Randy. With your CP being worse than mine, you knew you weren't expected to participate in school PE lessons, although dealing with your CP mustn't have been easy for you either.
When what we deal with is more obvious in some respects our life is made easier. We also tend to get more empathy from people, because they can see what it is we're dealing with.
Our limitations are still there even though other people don't see what they are and that's hard.