10/01/2024
My son eats his lunch alone every day at school. No one has stepped in to change that. No one has taken his hand and given him a chair at the table with the rest of the class.
They have left him by himself.
Everyday.
When you read that you may get a knot in your gut. A tear may run down your cheek and anger may swell up in your veins.
You feel those emotions because of your expectation of how things should be. The way things have been set by society! They have been written in books about inclusivity and the need to be looking out for the one who is alone and bring them into the fold.
But sometimes you need to pause. You need to assess the situation and you need to understand. Every day as the rest of the class unpack their lunch boxes and sit together to eat, they create noise, their lunches emit a range of smells and all the kids hustle and bustle while they fill their bellies.
Sitting by himself in the room next door, where there is silence and calm and a table to himself, is what Rhys needs. He gets away from the sensory overload. He resets. He regulates his emotions and he has time to chill. He has had to deal with the crowd for a few hours already, a lunchtime of the same environment would be too much!
My son sitting by himself at lunch is a good thing. It is an inclusive thing. It is recognising his needs so, he can continue with the day.
Inclusivity means understanding a person's needs and creating a society that accepts them. Understanding that being alone at times is ok, it is what he needs.
