And hey, thanks! I’m not entirely sure how to handle this issue with my son. Right now I’m trying to follow the psychologist’s advice and hope for the best, but I don’t want to see him hurting either. This can be a rough gig sometimes.

i really enjoy your blog, sharyn. it gives me a lot of hope that my son will be just fine despite the rather difficult diagnosis of asperger’s. i, too, am guilty of shielding my kid from neurotypical peers. he’s getting a bit better about blending and not geting too overwhelming for others, but still he stands out. a lot. i just want to protect him, and preserve him, and get him good and strong and okay with who he is before i lead him out into the harsh world. it isn’t that it is easier to protect, but that it feels better to not see him hurting. and truly, all exposing him to feeling rejected now instead of later will do is desensitize wounds. it won’t really prepare him. so i choose to wait until he is older and hopefully wiser before we deal with all that. crazy? i hope not.