Will There Be Room for Me?

“Would there be space for me to belong?”

Many thoughts and questions raced around his 5th-grade mind as school approached.

Would there be space for him to belong? Would he fit in? Society tells us that fitting in often comes with having a home that isn’t on wheels.

Like any other 5th-grade boy, he loved baseball, mystery books, hide-and-seek, and riding his bike. This year, unlike the one before, he would start school with clean clothes and a place to shower. I heard both excitement and nervousness in his voice.

Over the summer, he talked… a lot. Those conversations mattered. Being listened to mattered. Even when I had to step away, I tried to meet him where he was. I even made him my helper, and he rose to the occasion.

A few days before school started, I reminded him that this year would be different. Clean clothes, a clean body, and the confidence to walk into school knowing he belonged.

When his mom came in the following week, I waited anxiously for her update. Before I could even ask, she smiled and told me he had asked her to make sure she let me know everything was a thumbs-up. This year was already going better than the one before.

Being “normal” mattered to him. I always told him normal is overrated. What matters is feeling seen, cared for, and confident enough to show up as yourself.

This is dignity restored, one conversation and one load at a time.