Superhero Jockstraps
The first day of junior high school and one thought kept going through my head, “Why do I have to wear this jockstrap when my Spider-Man briefs are working just fine?” Junior high is confusing enough. I did not think the awkward undergarment required in PE was necessary. But there I was, standing on my assigned numbered square on the playground blacktop in my oversized in gym shorts and shirt, tugging at the straps on my crotch and legs. Do I have this thing on correctly?
“Awkward” and “uncomfortable” are the hallmarks of seventh and eighth grade junior high school. Some of you reading this might have gone to a “middle school” which is grades six, seven and eight. I feel sorry for you. An extra year of junior high and I might have lost any hope of normalcy. Both “junior high” and “middle school” imply you are stuck in between. In the middle. Not quite at the top, but not at the bottom. Kids in these grades are often referred to as “tweens” because they are between childhood and adolescence. This is not to be confused with maturity, which is a whole different topic. This is really about Sesame Street versus the Simpsons, The Wiggles versus Metallica, superhero underwear versus jockstraps, and little kids versus big kids.
I wanted to be a big kid like the high schoolers. I tried to reject the elementary school kids. I soon learned that each had positive and negative implications for me. With elementary kids I was looked up to, excelled at sports and felt worldly. On the other hand, I was compromising my potential coolness and acceptance by my peers. With the older junior high and high school kids I was demeaned, teased, and always made to feel inadequate. On the other hand, I was compromising my potential coolness and acceptance by my peers.
The lessons I learned in junior high school have stuck with me to this day. That is why I when I come to a Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease support group (I was diagnosed at age 48) or an Older Onset Parkinson’s Disease support group (I am now 57), I will not compromise my potential coolness and acceptance by the group. Instead I will remain awkward and uncomfortable.
Awkward in PDX (2014) - 4 months after diagnosed with PD