To be able to accept yourself just as you are is a powerful thing. Perhaps the most powerful thing a person must do. A person diagnosed with Tourette's has a hell of a lot more to accept than the average person. They have to accept that they are living in a body that will betray them. That they will sometimes feel trapped inside their own mind. That people will stare at them. That they may never feel comfortable in their body. That some people may fear them or judge them.
And at 7 years old, my son has fully embraced his Tourette's. He doesn't yet feel the weight of that acceptance, but he is now admitting that he has Tourette's and even talks about his tics with us and to his friend who also has TS. He talks freely about his tics, is able to talk with his therapist about what it feels like to need to tic, and has become his own advocate. The week before school started, I asked him what he'd tell other kids if they asked him why he was moving around so much or sniffing. He just looked at me and said, "I'll just tell them these are my tics, and I can't stop doing it."
I am often amazed at how brave and awesome Perrin is. He has to work so much harder than the other kids just to read a book because his tics slow him down so much, but he doesn't give up. He gets frustrated, but he is learning how to push through the exhaustion that his tics cause him.
If at this young age, he's able to accept who he is, I am more optimistic about his future than ever before.
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