Telling Stories

Olivia’s current favorite thing is to write ‘fan fic’. She likes to come up with stories, mostly about a party at our house where all her imaginary friends as well as characters from all her favorite movies come over and hang out.

In her stories, she talks to everyone, she’s the life of the party. Often, she’ll write in classmates and they’re always so happy to have her talk to them. It’s super cute and it breaks my heart all at the same time.

I love that she has such an active imagination. I love that she puts the words down on the screen. She uses both her tablet and the computer to write these stories.

She gets so many ideas for her stories from the movies she watches and the books she reads. She wants so badly to be the star and I want that for her. I want her to be the star of her own life, to break that shell that keeps her from shining wherever she is. She shines so bright at home, singing and dancing and laughing and talking.

I wish so badly she could do that at school. I want everyone who knows her to truly know her, to see the beautiful soul that is trapped in her brain, in her body. She’s so smart and sweet and funny. But no one but those closest to her can see that because she can’t let anyone else in.

And I don’t know how to help her.

It’s been suggested by the school that she see a therapist. Sure, okay. Fine. We’ll do that. Except, how will that help if she won’t/can’t talk to anyone but me and Tom and Alyssa and my mom?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that she writes these stories, getting the words out of her own head and that’s awesome. It’s a window into her brain, her thought process. It gives us a moment of insight into how and what she’s feeling. If I can’t have her open all the time, I’ll take these little moments, these bright spots where she shares herself with the world.