DS13 has had such a rough couple of years in middle school, I thought it would be nice to share something positive, and maybe hear some similar stories, if anyone wants to contribute:

He talked last night, at some length, about a classmate who he "wants to dislike" because the boy is homophobic and makes negative comments about LGBT students. DS said that he finds it impossible to judge this kid negatively, because he's clearly just responding to his home environment. And that the boy is a really nice person, with many positive traits, and so DS likes him despite his "politics."

I love how complex and accepting his thinking is. He applies the same principles to anyone with whom he has conflict. He is able to understand the complexities that underlie difficult human dynamics.

He's also autistic. I think it's a testament to debunking the ASD empathy myth.

Please add on, if you have any special 2E stories to share. Sometimes this whole "journey" seems so negative on the front-end.

What a wonderful thoughtful DS, eco21268! He is really trying to think about the complexity and people and see their best.

My story is not specifically 2e related (although I suspect my DS is), but it reminded me to see that gifts come in many forms. My DS 4.5 is intense and sometimes so happy to see his friends he brings so much volume, motion, and intensity to his greeting that it is embarrassing to me and occasionally overwhelming to his peers. We were in a store in the check out line when a friend from preschool came in the door. He was ecstatic, and so loud and bouncy in proclaiming that she was there and saying her name and how happy he was to see her, every single person there stopped to look at him. And I felt embarrassment. Then I heard the store employee's voice behind me, tinged with loneliness: "My God, I wish one person in this world was that happy to see me walk in the door." So I vowed to see his true joy at seeing someone as a gift, something perhaps to temper bit, but something precious.

ETA I don't mean "gift" in the gifted or "all kids are gifted" sense in this post

Wow, that is so touching. He is truly a special human being. Fingers crossed for him that he finds his peeps sooner than later.

This a really nice story. When my DS was in second grade he saw other children making fun of an unpopular child who had ADHD. They grabbed his backpack and wouldn't return it.

My DS insisted they stop making fun of him and return his backpack, which they did. He didn't know at the time that one of the adults in the school had observed him doing this and recommended him for a principal's award.

That is a really cool story! Sometimes it's hard to remember to see the positives when our kids are different (and we are embarrassed for/with them).

So nice. I love hearing about kids who aren't afraid to speak up when someone's being bullied. That takes guts!

DS and DD had an ethical argument about doing volunteer/service hours. DS wants to "go around helping people" during the summer and DD told him that would be great for his college apps--he was very offended by that notion. Guess which DC is much more successful and savvy at school? :P