Rules

What a way to celebrate one’s birthday, a 26 hour flight to Tasmania.  But it gives me time to read RAs favorite books.  Just finished a beautiful story by Cynthia Lord called Rules.  It is the story, told by Catherine, who lives with her brother (David) and her parents.  It is one of the first books from a sibling’s perspective on how to live with her brother’s autism.  Catherine is a twelve-year-old who struggles with having to grow up in assisting her parents with David, ten years old, with everything from setting boundaries, to rolling the video cassette that he continually breaks.  It is summer break from school and Catherine has a new neighbor, a twelve-year-old, and feels she can finally have a new best friend, but how will David and his autism stand in the way?  This is a heartwarming story that includes the villain, the nasty neighborhood boy who also wants time with the new neighbor, the boy who provides Catherine with her learning moment (not her brother, but a disabled young boy who falls in love with her, and the parents who expect so much of Catherine.  Sometimes growing up is painful, especially when you fight the idea that sometimes worrying about what other people think, just doesn’t matter.  Thank you Taylor, our new RA, for sharing your beautiful story.  Your brother is lucky to have you as a sister!