So back to Brene Brown (is she blowing anyone else's mind?). This was a fascinating part of the book for me. I've never explored why people feel like they need to "fit in," but it makes sense that it is connected to belonging. People feel that they've got to be a certain way in order to feel like they "belong" to a certain group.
I've never been a big fan of fitting in. And early on, I decided that I just didn't want to work that hard to feel like I fit in. In fact, I've been quite proud of flying my freak flag every once in awhile, sometimes even defiantly.
But there are times that you feel like you need to do certain things to fit in. Ironically, I've often felt like I need to do things to fit in with people who are already my friends rather than with people who I don't know. And there are times that I have curbed who I really am--just dampened it a little--in order to fit in. I have the assumption that if people saw how incredibly wacky I really was, they'd send me packing. I'm trying not to do that anymore. Partly because I don't have the energy. Partly because I've seen that people actually like me more when I show those parts. Mostly because I definitely like myself more when I am just me.
This past week was Homecoming at Oviedo HS. And I had one of those days where you just BUST with pride as a parent. Kyle was part of the Powder Puff cheerleading squad. He was actually the leader, calling out the different cheers. My child wasn't concerned with fitting in--he was uniquely, beautifully him. And it was a joy to see everyone respond to being his joyful, goofy, impulsive, crazy self. And he belonged just fine there.
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