Introducing My Friends to Cate

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well and had a great week. Today I want to talk about something I have not touched on yet. I have talked about telling my friends about Cate, but introducing them to Cate is a whole other story. Let's get into it.

It used to be really hard for me to introduce people to my sister and I did not want her around when I had new people over. I would have my parents put her in her room and not out in the open when new people were here, because to be honest, I was embarrassed. I did not know what to do or what people would think. As I have talked about in different entries (How to Tell People About Your Sibling and Attention in Public), I am always nervous about how people will respond to Cate because I never want people to pity me and my family. I thought that people actually seeing Cate would make them pity us, but I have learned that this is not true.

As I have gotten older and learned more about what works for me and what does not, I have been trying to not care as much as what people think about me. This is me and this is my life, and I need to embrace it and be proud. I have stopped hiding Cate away and she is around like any sibling would be when people come over.

I am very lucky and I have some pretty amazing people in my life, who are all wonderful with Cate. The people closest to me or have known me for the longest interact with Cate like nothing is different about her, which means more than they could know. A big judge of character for me is how people interact with Cate or even if they do at all. Most people have never been around someone with special needs, and I totally understand it can be confusing on what to do or how to handle yourself, but the people who have just taken it into stride are the best people I have met. Not to be super sappy or anything, but the people who interact with Cate like any other person tears me up because it is really special to me and to her.

My best advice for people first meeting someone with special needs is to treat them like how you would anyone else. Talk to them, even if they will not respond. Say hi, ask them how they are doing because you never know how much someone would appreciate it. Always remember the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated.

I hope you all have a great Halloween and week ahead. Thank you for reading, much love.

-Alex