I was reading Washington Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax today (you can search her for a new column daily right on Facebook) and she was writing about the issue of how vulnerable kids are/n't willing to be in terms of self expression. It made me think of this thread. Here's the tiny take-a-way I found to be especially pertinent:

"I don’t think self-expression in general can be entirely 'safe.' The risk is built into the whole concept: To express ourselves is to take who we are inside and to put it on the outside for public consumption. The very definition of vulnerability, no?"

I thought that was interesting.

I have also been thinking about the responses a few of you posted about how being super-open would make your kids vulnerable. How your children's lives would be/could be impacted. Just wow, am I sorry to hear this! I/we have never experienced this level of discrimination and wouldn't expect to in our mid-size, diverse, and notably socially open community. I guess I don't realize how lucky I am here. We've been with the same kids/parents since 1st grade.

I also hear you about the job thing. My not working isn't because I can afford it, but rather because I am simply not well enough at this time to do so. It's really tough. I'm not sure we can go in like this without losing the house, to be honest, and, truth be told, my discussing my disorder openly may have impacted my employment significantly and negatively....and I am just too dumb to realize it at this point.

I dunno.

I've been deeply ill for a long time and am still peeling the smelly layers of the onion these last fourteen months have grown. It's easy to say, "hel.l yeah," when I haven't even gotten very deep into examining the job loss part of this particular episode.

But in spite of these facts...I always have and believe very strongly in the liklihood that I will continue to say, "Dam.n straight I do!" because that's just the kind of hippie-type person I am.

If I were in your shoes, I might not. But I am not. So...no judgment, no worries, and most of all...no way to know.

I hope that makes sense and sounds as truly non-judgmental as it's meant to be. Please let me know if that's not the case.

Peace--