Rules: Week of 1/20/14

Pages: 1-20
Prompt: Give a general summarization of what's going on. How would you feel if you were in the characters shoes?

     Rules is about a girl named Catherine, and all she ever wanted was for her and her family to be considered normal, but she feels that with an autistic brother named David, that is almost impossible. She doesn't like David to be loud, or obnoxious in public, even though she knows that he can't help it. She just wishes that for once, she could go somewhere without people giving her and her family odd stares, and looks of disgust. Her parents never seem to notice this though, they seem to think no one cares about how David acts; that they know he's different, but Catherine doesn't think so. Her parents also spend so much time worrying about David, that it's almost as if they've kind of put Catherine to the side and began to forget about her, and this makes her very upset. She doesn't really know what to do, but to at least start to try and change the way David does things, she's made a list of rules that may not be rules at all, but are lessons, and things people need to know in life. She made this for David, so if he isn't ever to just magically turn normal (like Catherine thinks will happen,) then at least he may know and begin to figure out how to handle life.

     Now, if I were in Catherine's shoes, I think I would be a bit embarrassed of David also. Now I know people that have autism (like David) or some other type of disorder (like down syndrome) can't help how they may act or be like, but it sometimes can even frustrate me. It's hard for people who understand and learn things so easily, to always understand people with a disability or disorder. People who get things more easily aren't going to understand others well who's brains don't function as quickly or smoothly, so it can get frustrating, and even upsetting at times. I know it would be hard to live with an autistic brother, though I've never experienced it. I can just imagine things being so easy for me, and hard for him, and it would be hard to relate, or explain things when things don't go through some people brains the same way. I would get "mad," if they couldn't do something that seemed so simple to me, though could be so hard to them. I don't know how I would be able to handle it, and I'm not sure how some people do. Of course I know they can't help it, but sometimes situations like that can just seem hopeless to get through to. So, I think it would be pretty hard to be in Catherine's shoes in this situation.

     Also, if I were in Catherine's shoes, I think I would be a little upset. Her parents aren't always paying much attention to her because of her autistic brother, and I think that would make me a bit sad, not being able to spend nice quality time with my mother or father, because they were so worried about one of my siblings, I wouldn't know how to cope. I think I would want some attention. Sometimes, big things could be happening for me, and if my parents were too occupied with someone else to be able to support me, I think it would be hard. I already do get to spend lots of time with my parents, and I don't think one is more focused on a specific child rather than another, and if they were, I know that I would feel sad, and alone like Catherine. So, based on these things, I think it would be really hard to walk in Catherine's shoes. She's stuck in a sort of weird, and upsetting situation, and I think I would have an extremely hard time living her life.