My son loves YouTube. He can get lost for hours letting the auto play take him on a journey. For a long time he has been desperate to make a movie and upload it. Eagerly he wrote a list in his messy but still legible writing.
A couple of days ago Michael and Rory recorded a movie showing people how some new, geeky card game based on Star Wars characters.
For the last few days they’ve been editing the file. Its school news day and Rory is preparing his speech. He plans on talking about this YouTube video. He plans to tell everyone the purpose of the video, why he and his dad created one and chicks totally dig a boy that’s made a YouTube video.
‘So, did he tell you about how his news day went?’
‘Um, no. Did he tell you?’
It was at this point I learnt that Rory went to school and talked about my mental health issues and what it’s like to live with someone with these problems.
This is fantastic and all but a fair chunk of the presentation was spent talking about how mummy uses a blade and cuts her skin. She even writes words when cutting into her skin.
A whole classroom of beady eight year-old eyes attentive and hanging on every word and desperate to understand something that just doesn’t make sense.
‘They all had questions’. He then continued by boasting that it was the most popular news item of the whole year. Everyone wanted to know more.
Upon asking why he had abandoned his original plan he told us that the content of the YouTube video might have gone over their heads and that it didn’t seem appropriate. It might’ve scared some of his classmates. The kid is seriously fucking with me, right?
I’ve spent the last 24 hours hoping I never have to look his teacher in the eye ever again. OMG. I wonder how many parents had that sometimes-people-are-just-sad conversation. Regardless though I am very proud of how mature he is and how he is working to normalise these things. But, for fuck sake that was insane.
If you see me hiding in a shrub you’ll know Mrs Hadobas is close by. OMG.
bunny149 