Thank you so much for sharing all this with us! It takes a lot of bravery, after a lifetime of hiding and keeping it close, to let out things that you were told were too much of this, too little of that, or just plain wrong. It's important to realize that, no matter how good their intentions were when they told you this, your parents were wrong. These things you have felt your whole life, they are real. What your daughter is going through is real. And while it is something you have to learn to deal with, it is something you and she can cope with and get better with. And yes, there is hope, as you so beautifully illustrated in your poetry. You are not nuts, there is something different about you that many other people cannot identify with or understand. But that doesn't mean there is something inherently wrong with you. It is a pain, that you have to do some things differently. But there are benefits, as well. We SPDer's are a creative, intelligent, quirky bunch. We feel things and see things differently, and thus, we come up with different solutions and different ways of doing things that are wonderful and helpful. And, as we band together here, we can help one another cope with the hard parts while we make the world a better place.

I have a feeling you're in a tough place right now, coming to terms with all this. Feel free to share some of these things here. I'm not gonna lie; it's a tough road. But you know that already. What you haven't seen yet is that it can be done, it is ok, and even with the hard times, you and your daughter are gonna be ok. Together, we'll make it work.