Some Trials and Tribulations of Being The Youngest

I was the youngest of three siblings, and I was the smartest. Being the smartest, I breezed through by school lessons and my grade levels. I was always the youngest everywhere. I was the youngest at home, at school, and at every event or competition. Not to mention that my last name began with W ... I was always at the end of every list and line. That's another issue for another time. Back to the matter at hand.

I wouldn't have minded being the youngest, if it weren't for the fact that people always assumed that they knew more about everything than I did. Once they would make that mistake, I would have to rectify their error. Then I was further isolated because of my intellect. I was the last one called by name. I was the youngest. I was the smartest. I was the most isolated from my peers and from my family.

It didn't bother me the way it bothered most people, because I'm an Aspie. Not all the things that you hear people saying about Asperger's Syndrome are true, and nothing that you hear about Asperger's Syndrome is true for all Aspies. Each Aspie is uniquely different from any other Aspie, and that's just fine with us. We don't want to be the same as each other, and we don't need to be the same as anyone else. We don't need a lot of things, yet there are a lot of things that we do need. I'm laughing now because I find it amazing that certain things even require explaining. There are not enough blogs in the world to hold all of what we Aspies have to say about anything. So, I'll get back to my original issue of always being the youngest.

There are some wrongs in the world that can never be rectified, and being the youngest is one of them. Nothing you do solves that problem, and each year that you grow older everyone else does, as well. You are not the only ones who dwell upon that issue, because it is always on the minds of those older people in your lives. Sometimes they try to be subtle about it, but it doesn’t change the fact that you are not fully accepted amongst them; regardless of the fact that your intellect is far greater than theirs.

As annoying as this problem is, you cannot fault older people for treating you as if you are too young compared to them. It’s the truth. We may not like (or approve) of the truths that anger us, and we may not willingly accept those truths, either. Still, there’s nothing that can be done about it until you are well into your 30s or 40s; sometimes it takes until your 60s.

Well, that’s a bit discouraging; isn’t it? The best thing to do instead of wasting your time seeking entrance into that golden older realm is simply to be the real you. After all, that is all that you have to work with; so work it! Make your presence known, admired, and welcomed by embracing your intellect and your early maturity. Now look where we are? Maturity is an even longer one-sided conversation than age. We’ll save talking about ways to reveal maturity in more subtle (aka mature) ways that will let others realize that you may be young, but you do not have the mind of a child.

Of course, we can create whatever image we choose for ourselves bearing in mind the laws of the land, as well as the laws of morality. Don’t worry, I don’t believe in preaching morals to others, but I do believe in morals, convictions, fulfilling obligations, and being a responsible person regardless of age. It used to be easy to tell young people to act your age! That doesn’t really work these days when grown folk are running around acting as if they are children. Let’s see what suggestions any of you may have to be of assistance to someone else, who is currently facing this issue.

I’m a firm believer in being part of the solutions, and never any part of the problems. I also believe that we can harness intellect for our good, as well as for the greater good.

I encourage you to comment on this post. I spoke respectfully to you, so I expect respectful comments. You may disagree respectfully. Let’s get this discourse going!

Hidey Ho, Neighbor!

Hello, my friends!

I suppose that now would be the right time to introduce myself, as well as the purpose of this blog. I'm The Amber Raven (call me The Raven) and I am the founder of this project. I am fifteen years of age, and I have been writing seriously since I was fourteen. Before that, I didn't write much unless I had an assignment from school.

I have been home schooled on and off since the fifth grade, which I skipped. (Kinda.... It's complicated. :P) I was in public/charter school for half of middle school, and I have only tried public school once for high school. I am now in the tenth grade.

Next year, I intend to take one-two college courses at a local community college. I'm aiming for Sociology or Psychology, as I would like to become a Psychologist one day. Or maybe creative writing.

For the moment, I'm keeping my options open. XP

Now, I'll stop my rambling and get to the real point of this post: my reasons behind creating this blog.

Actually, I've been thinking of making some sort of meaningful blog for awhile now, I just didn't know what the purpose of it would be. And then, a few days ago, it clicked. I could make a blog for the gifted and anyone else who was interested in learning about the gifted! It was the perfect project for my Psych class, as well as for recreation.

So, I asked around. I asked all of my 'gifted' internet buddies if they were interested in participating.... and thus 'Wanderers and Seekers' was born.

You know, I've never really had meaningful friends before. Sure, I've had friends that I considered as close, but it was never really true. There is something about me, about my personality, that makes it very difficult to connect to most regular people... and it's not like the world is completely full of people that I can relate to.

On average, my friendships are short, shallow, and... meaningless. There's a certain depth in friendship that I long for, and while I have attained friendships such as these, they don't typically last for very long.

A few months ago, I started a journey of true self discovery. I wanted to know how I am the way I am, and why. I wanted to know why I couldn't seem to make meaningful relationships, and why I always felt so isolated, despite the fact that my personality is extremely open and bubbly. Admittedly, I am a chipper person, though I don't know how much of that is truly me, and how much of it is an act.

I looked around, first deciding that I had Aspergers Syndrome. I show quite a few of the characteristics, but there were certain things that didn't fit. And then I remembered something: in the fourth grade, I was tested into the Gifted and Talented program. However, we moved away a few months later, so I hadn't really considered before.

And so I looked up the characteristics of the gifted, and I may or may not have teared up a little. It described me... from how my mind works, all the way down to how emotionally hypersensitive I am.

By that time, I already had quite a few interweb writing buddies, and most of them were as brilliant as the sun in summer. We identified with each other well, despite my ignorance of the fact that I was 'gifted'.

I have always felt so alone, so isolated. It was nice to know that I'm not just an oddity.

And when I look back, I realize how sad and lost I was, how I wandered around, searching for someone, anyone to accept me as I am. I still feel that way sometimes.

I don't want anyone to feel that way.

Now I have friends. People that I can speak to about anything from Psychology to how far away the stars are. It feels so amazing to not be alone anymore.

When it all comes down to it, this is why I created this blog: so that everyone can feel accepted, no matter who they are, no matter what problems they face.

And I hope that I can journey with all of you, no matter where this crazy, capricious world takes us.

With all of my love,

~The Raven

Spidey Senses Tingling

Hahaha, I have a story, it may make you smile, or laugh. But I'll share it because I guess the whole point of this is to share our experiences and ideas. I guess I may become a blog-whore on this site ;) This is the second time I've posted today!

Anyways, when I was in grade six, everybody kind of knew me as the 'smart kid'. So of course, I did 'smart kid' stuff. For instance, when everybody else was paying attention to the teacher, I was reading or doing my own thing. I didn't really pay attention much that year, the school work was easy, and it didn't take much effort.

So, I was reading, and I vaguely hear a question from my teacher. Of course, I ignore it, knowing the answer.

But--to my surprise--my spidey senses start tingling. I can FEEL the eyes watching me. So I look up, and everybody is staring at me. "What's the answer?" They asked me, and I stare dumbly at them for a while, amused that they automatically assumed that I know the answer.

So, I reply with an exasperated, "Do it yourself." And they did end up doing it themselves (with the teacher's help), but nonetheless, from that point on, whenever a difficult question arose, my spidey senses would tingle.

Anyways, I've always found that amusing. Not sure if you do too. But, I'd love to read a post on an experience, be it funny or sad, or even just a favourite quote.

"It is easier to fight for ones beliefs than to live up to them."

Hi, hey, hello!

Ah, hello there, I'm not sure if I should be the first one to post, because it was The Raven's idea, but I'll do it nonetheless. I hope this blog helps you, if you have problems, or questions, or just want to know you're not alone.

This is aimed towards people, not just children/teenagers, but everybody. We've all encountered the "smart people." But what if you're one of them? What they call "gifted?" It's not just rainbows and butterflies, it gets tough sometimes too. So I guess we're here to help, and even share experiences. You're not alone.

And personally? I'd love to read a post expanding on this, from my dear friend S. A. Raven. She'd explain it better and even correct any of my mistakes. And maybe even meet the other people contributing to this blog.

Thanks, Samantha-McDougall.