The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

AYDEN AUDETTE
CATHERINE CASEY-PAULL, TEACHER
Normandin Middle School, New Bedford, MA
I was born in May 2012. A beautiful baby boy. I got diagnosed with autism.
From every day forward, I had to fight a battle to live life normally. It was
rough, and I had a hard time learning. I couldn’t talk until I was six.
I turned three, and my mom and dad stopped seeing each other, and my new
way of life was born, just my mom and me. My mother and I live well without
my dad. We still stand strong, even though there is no male figure. There was a
missing piece of the puzzle, but we figured out what the picture was. But then,
around 2018 to 2019, a tragedy happened that would affect my life to this day.
I was laying in my bed when my mom woke me up in a hurry. I heard a loud
beeping noise, then I realized it was my fire alarm going off. We tried to run out
of the house quickly, but before we got to the door, I saw flames engulf the
corner of the kitchen. They engulfed the stove and were about six feet tall.
“EVEN THOUGH THERE
ARE DIFFICULTIES
IN LIFE, THERE ARE
BRIGHT MOMENTS,
TOO, WHICH CAN
MAKE THOSE DARK
ONES BE LIT UP.”
Even though there are difficulties in life, there are bright moments, too, which
can make those dark ones be lit up. Be the light bulb and light up the dark scary
rooms that just need some light. Be the stars that light up the sky. Be the moon
in the dark night sky. You can light up the world to be a better place.
After the house fire, I got diagnosed with depression, related to the trauma,
I think. It ruined my childhood by making me sad all day, almost every day. But
I think the house fire also changed my life for the better, because I’m now in a
better home. Even though everything that happened to me was bad, that
doesn’t mean my current outcome is bad. Bad events can shape who we are,
and that happened to me.
Now, I’m better and stronger. That day, I learned that unpleasant events don’t
always have terrible outcomes. I have overcome these events and made them
into opportunities, learning experiences, and most importantly, parts of who
I am. Those nasty events have made me stronger and able to overcome most
events that will happen to me in future. Now, I am a smart student and a
person who has hope and will for the future and wants to be successful.
Sometimes, you get blue experiences but add some yellow and make them
green. That yellow can be friends, family, or even just you. You have the
possibility to make people’s days even better. That can be as simple as opening
a door for someone, or being a police officer, firefighter, or paramedic, saving
lives. Even though you may be a star one day and a groundhog another,
even though you’re not a star, you’re celebrated once a year. Be proud you’re
a groundhog.
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
VOLUME XXXIII
88 89