{"id":38259,"date":"2022-10-13T12:13:52","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T11:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/potentialplusuk.org\/?p=38259"},"modified":"2024-07-09T13:28:08","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T12:28:08","slug":"maddys-story-i-want-to-be-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/potentialplusuk.org\/index.php\/2022\/10\/13\/maddys-story-i-want-to-be-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Maddy\u2019s Story \u2013 \u201cI Want to Be Normal!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/MTi2BfZUY58″ align=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Maddy’s Story” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30|text_align:center|color:%23af1c63″ use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1669135311983{margin-bottom: 10px !important;}”]Maddy* was a happy, confident toddler with a fantastic imagination. She was curious about everything and afraid of nothing. When Maddy\u2019s interest was sparked, she would spend hours exploring and learning more \u2013 the neighbourhood cat, aliens, stars, the workings of a mechanical toy\u2026 In fact, nothing escaped Maddy\u2019s enthusiasm for new experiences.<\/p>\n

Maddy was excited about starting primary school. She looked forward to learning about the world, making friends and sharing some of her knowledge. For weeks before the start of term, Maddy lived in an imaginary world of school, enlisting family and toys to be the children whilst she took on the role of teacher. Her bag was packed ready for this wonderful world of school.<\/p>\n

Sadly, school wasn\u2019t the happy place that Maddy imagined.<\/p>\n

The Problem for Maddy<\/span><\/h3>\n

Maddy didn\u2019t make friends as she hoped but was isolated and bullied. She was left out of playground games and other bullying quickly followed. It wasn\u2019t long before Maddy dreaded going to school and the tell-tale \u2018tummy aches\u2019 began. She just couldn\u2019t face being called a \u2018weirdo\u2019 or \u2018alien\u2019 any longer.<\/p>\n

Maddy started to feel very different from other children, asking her parents why the children wouldn\u2019t play with her and how she could be \u2018normal\u2019. She then refused to go to school.<\/p>\n

Maddy\u2019s parents watched her mental health deteriorate, yet felt powerless to help her. They, too, felt isolated, desperate and lonely. The stress of watching their toddler who had been a bundle of joy, transformed into a miserable, anxious child was almost unbearable.<\/p>\n

With Potential Plus UK\u2019s Help<\/span><\/h3>\n

Maddy\u2019s parents discovered Potential Plus UK and an assessment of high learning potential revealed Maddy\u2019s extremely high ability. By joining our events with other exceptionally bright children, Maddy discovered that \u2018normal\u2019 is different for different people and found the friends and sense of belonging that she needed. Maddy\u2019s family became members, and with on-going expert advice and support, offering understanding and guidance when it was needed the most, Maddy rebuilt her self-esteem and developed the self-knowledge she needed to cope with school. Her mental health gradually improved and family life became happier.<\/p>\n

Maddy is now a confident, happy young adult with a career as a celebrated, award-winning writer. She has a loyal following of fans of the fantasy genre.<\/p>\n

Membership<\/span><\/h3>\n

Is your child struggling with feeling different, anxious or being bullied? Maddy\u2019s parents became members of Potential Plus UK. Membership (at Plus or Essentials level) provides free access to our information services, which includes half-hour calls with our Education Advisors (\u00a336 to non-members), and access to information to download in the form of our advice sheets. Find out more about other benefits of membership at: Family Membership<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1720527925422{margin-top: 0px !important;}”]<\/p>\n

Resources<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The following resources (free\/paid) may help you further<\/p>\n

Advice Pages <\/strong><\/p>\n