Rose - Its Not a Perfect World, but Ill Take It: Its Not a Perfect World, but Ill Take It

Copyright 2016 by Jennifer Rose

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Rain Saukas

Cover photo: iStock

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-0549-4

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-0550-0

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

PREFACE

My life (so far)

I WAS BORN ON AUGUST 1, 1996 in New York City. In 2000, I was diagnosed with autism. As a child, I was very high functioning. In fact, my father even tried, though unsuccessfully, to get me into the gifted program at my elementary school. I was also very creative and enjoyed making up stories in my head based on my favorite cartoon characters. I even created my own personal newspaper that I called The Backpack News .

But I still had a learning disability and didnt talk very much. When I did talk, it was mostly to obsess about the various cartoons I liked. In 2005, I started biomedical treatments, which included chelation therapy, a gluten-free diet (which I hated), dietary supplements, and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber (which I kind of liked).

However, things took a turn for the worse in the sixth grade. While moving from elementary to middle school is a difficult transition for everyone, its especially challenging for someone with special needs. I was having difficulty with certain subjects, and there was friction with some teachers. With the help of a counselor, my mom recruited several girls from school to be my friends and help me adjust to the new environment. These girls were called Jennys Angels, and they made a big difference. I even had a huge party with them once. Another bright spot for me during this year was meeting Jenny McCarthy at an AutismOne conference.

I was mostly fine in the seventh grade, though somewhat introverted. I worked at a snack bar with my mom, and I joined the Newspaper Club. I even made a few friends. I was showing some interest in shopping and pop musiclike a typical girl my age. When spring came along, however, I developed allergies, and these led to many emotional outbursts. When it rained on the last day of school and field day was canceled, I completely lost it. Luckily, I was still able to have fun the following week during my familys trip to Toronto.

Eighth grade was awful. In addition to school stress, I was also preoccupied with preparing for my bat mitzvah. In the end, I had to leave my middle school, because I was so overwhelmed. At my next school, the environment was not very friendly. For example, at one point, I was trying to sharpen a pencil, but the teacher wouldnt let me. Eventually, she even unplugged the sharpener, and I lost it. I was so agitated that I couldnt think straightI even (believe it or not) called the police on my parents one night after an argument.

Nothing could prepare my parents for what would happen next, however. After one huge outburst, they finally saw the light and decided to take me to an alternative school for special needs kids. (Three different schools in a few months!) I was still having some emotional issues and worried about getting kicked out, but started talking about these issues with a therapist and seemed to be on a more even keel. I managed to stay at that school for a whopping three and a half years. I made close friends, got a boyfriend, and worked with and donated to various charities. I went on fun trips to amusement parks and museums with my friends and one day even got to see the set of Jersey Shore . I tried my hand at Tae Kwon Do, fan fiction, acting, and even swimming. Now I finally had the time and energy to focus on my goals.

Despite these improvements, I still had one big problemdealing with mean girls. Some would pick on me and call me stupid, even if they acted nice toward everyone else. Sometimes I got so upset that I cried myself to sleep at night. However, both the principal and my mother said that the reason the mean girls hated me so much was that they saw me as a threat to their popularity, and that the best thing to do was to ignore them. Good lesson, no?

By the eleventh grade, it became clear that this school was way too easy for me. In fact, nothing exciting happened that year, except Hurricane Sandy. Since the power was knocked out at home, Dad took the family to eat at the cafeteria at Drew University, where he teaches. I noticed how cute the boys were there.

In the twelfth grade, my parents sent me to a school that was more academically rigorous. I was having issues with reading too slowly, which was very taxing, especially since I was working on my SATs and failed twice. Luckily, my parents found an eye doctor who was able to fix the problem.

In the summer of 2014, I got my first real job: an internship in the library at a residential summer camp for special needs kids, Camp Ramapo. I had previously gone there as a camper for about five years with my younger sister, and I made a few good friends there.

I was eventually accepted into college, but it proved to be quite a challenge. I decided to be daring and take five courses my first semester, but ended up having to drop one course due to the workload. I also struggled during my second semester, getting agitated and doing poorly on tests.

But I am otherwise doing great. I am turning my love of writing into a writing major. I am also writing for fun, as well as working on the computer, watching both classic and contemporary movies, and doing charity work.

PART I

DREAMS AND REALITY

LESSON 1

Life is not a straight line

MY VERY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL was in September 2001. I graduated from high school in June 2014, and by then I wasnt the same person I was when I was five. While this may seem obvious, its actually a pretty vital life lesson. As Tyra Banks says, The road to success is not a straight line, its a zigzag line. Okay, she was talking about modeling, but it still applies to the more low-key world of real life. How? Well, I went through a lot during my thirteen years of schooling. From being the only special needs student in my public school class to attending a school for high-functioning autistic and Aspergers kids and now going to college, it was one long journey.

The road was pretty bumpy along the way. I had to deal with loneliness, bullying, and behavioral problems. But I had plenty of positive things to help me along, from ideas for writing movies to my friends who supported me. Along the way, I picked up many life lessons. And you know what? Im still learning. In fact, I didnt understand some things until very recently, like how to handle my boyfriends really dumb (and endlessly repeated) jokes. I will learn more stuff as I get olderwhen Im thirty and a mom, for example. Moms are always learning new things. They have to. Just ask any mom.