#0025: We are not normal!

Reading time: 8.50 min 

Hey 👋  - Hello, there!! 

I have been raising Adi as a single parent for the past three years, ever since we decided to part ways. It hasn't been easy, but I've managed to make it work. Adi is a happy and well-adjusted kid, despite the challenges we've faced.

Being a single parent is still viewed as somewhat taboo in our society, and I've faced my share of judgment and criticism. People often ask me how I do it as if it's some sort of miracle. The truth is, it's just a matter of making it work, no matter what.

After we left the city and our home for many years, we decided to start fresh in a small town. It was a big adjustment for both of us, but it was the best thing for our family. Yes, we do not have a place we call our home and we move around a lot, but that doesn't mean we are any less of a family.

We may not have much, but we have each other and that's all that matters. I am grateful for the love and support of my family and friends, who have helped us through some tough times.

It hasn't been easy, but I've managed to make it work. Adi is a happy and well-adjusted kid, despite the challenges we've faced.

Sometimes schools and society, in general, can be unkind to children who don't have a "normal" family structure. It's one of the things I worry about the most as Adi gets older. But I know that no matter what, I will always be there for him and we will face whatever challenges come our way together.

But who gets to decide between "normal" and "abnormal." In my community, "normal" is what most people are. If 80% of people are right-handed, then lefties are "abnormal." If the average weight is 150 pounds, then someone who weighs 200 pounds is considered overweight or obese, which is seen as "abnormal."

Most people grow to a height of between 5 and 6 feet, so anyone outside of that range is considered "abnormal."

Not only this If you are a child raised by a single parent, you are also considered "abnormal." If your parents are divorced, you are considered "abnormal." If you have a parent with a disability, you are considered "abnormal."

Abnormal is also anything that falls outside of the nuclear family structure. So if you are raised by grandparents, or have two moms or two dads, you are considered "abnormal."

The thing is, what is considered "normal" changes over time. In the past, divorce was considered abnormal. Now, it's much more common and accepted. The same goes for single parenting, interracial couples, and LGBTQ+ families.

What this means is that what is considered "abnormal" is really just anything that is outside of the mainstream. And the mainstream is constantly changing.

If you want to read the full article on this topic, find the link at the end

Adi loves to design and write stories. I was happy to come across upschool.co, which provides a great platform for him to do both. He has recently published his book on the site, which is available to read online or download for free.

The process involved writing a story, designing the book cover and illustrations, and then uploading it to the site.

Skills he learned:

Design- The book design, cover, fonts, illustrations

Storytelling - Adi loves coming up with creative stories and enjoys sharing them with others.

Uploading- Adi learned how to upload his book to the site so that others could read it. There are many other things like downloading in a particular format, learning to write a dedication, about the author etc.

The best thing is that the revenue that he will be generating from the book will be going to a charity of his choice. So not only is he honing his skills, but he is also helping others.

I would definitely recommend this site to other parents whose children enjoy writing and design.

What he enjoyed: being able to share his story with others, designing

What he found challenging: Making characters

I am happy to have found this great platform for my son to share his creativity with the world. I encourage you to check out his book and others on upschool.co.!

You can check his book here 

Bonding over curiosity

Today Adi asked me about the HP logo. We talked about how it’s a stylized version of HP is a monogram used to refer to the original name of the Company, Hewlett Packard. We also talked about how it was founded in a garage by two college friends and HP has been around for over 75 years.

We then went on to explore other companies' logos and how they came to be. We looked at Nike, Coca-Cola, Mcdonald's, and more. Adi loved seeing how each company's history was reflected in its logo.

Slowly we started talking about gadgets and we saw the latest laptop from HP, from there our curiosity went on to Tesla phones. The projected features of the Tesla phone got Adi going, he started asking me all sorts of questions about the phone. We looked up videos and articles to learn more.

The Tesla phone is named Pi, after the infinite number, and it has an edge-to-edge display that curves around the phone. Adi was curious about why it was named Pi and I explained to him that it was because the phone is meant to be used as a computer, and Pi is an important number in mathematics.

I showed him a couple of videos so that he understands Pi a little better. I remember learning about Pi in school and how abstract it is, so I’m glad that Adi was able to connect with it in a way that he could understand.

After our conversation about the Tesla phone, Adi went off to play with his legos. I sat there for a while thinking about how much fun it is to explore the world with Adi. We bond over our shared curiosity and it’s a great way to connect with him.

Children are very curious especially when they are exposed to a lot of things in the world. They want to know how everything works and they have boundless energy to explore. As parents, we can encourage this curiosity by taking the time to answer their questions and explore the world with them. It’s a great way to bond with our kids and help them learn about the world around them.

Most parents feel they do not have enough time to answer their kids' questions. Being a parent to a curious kid, I know how difficult it can be to always be available to answer their questions. But even if we can't always be available, we can create opportunities for our kids to explore their curiosity.

If you want to read the full article on this topic, find the link at the end

cheers, Priyanka

Do check out Upschool.co if you want to inspire your kid to write stories, they have other courses that you can explore as well.