Who sets THE EXPECTATIONS?

For some reason or another, I woke up about 3AM. Normally, I turn over and go back to sleep- but since I'm on my last weekend before officially going back to work, I decided to watch a movie. I found "The Accountant" on HBO. It immediately intrigued me because the story revolved around a man who was diagnosed with autism. He appeared to be a productive citizen in the eyes of the public, but behind doors he dealt with those stressful lack of social interactions, and coping means that the general population might not understand. My youngest son was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, which is on the autism scale. I found many of the challenges Christian, the main character, dealt with are similar to the ones my son goes through. One of the most profound lines in the movie to me was when the neurologist said, "But I guarantee you, if we let the world set expectations for our children, they'll stay low... and they'll stay there". It's true for parents or caregivers, we have expectations of growth, not everone expects that for our kids. If our kids are different, people are afraid of them. Different could mean financial class, popularity level, medical or intellectual differences, ethnic background, race, etc. What do people usually do when they're afraid of something? They try to eliminate it or stay away from it. How do they eliminate it, if not in the literal form? They try to break them down verbally, mentally, and emotionally. Many times they do that physically as well. It is up to parents to be connected with our kids and engage with them. Definitely something to think about.