The Mask Is Slipping: One Parent’s Story of Seeing Their Child Shine
When that Mask Goes On
For the past couple of years, I watched my son go to school. I was told, “It’s great because he’s here!” I was told, “He’s fine once he gets into school.” I was told that he “is such a lovely, calm, kind boy.”
And yet, I watched him every morning. He didn’t want to go to school. He didn’t want to get dressed. He often cried before leaving the house.
At 8:50 the hood went up, the head went down, the socks got tucked in, the glasses went on…
…this was the mask.
My heart breaks as I remember watching him travel across that playground. It was literally like he was trudging through thick, deep mud — every step was a massive effort. I felt like I was leaving him on the battlefield…but this was school.
This was the type of place I’d trained to work at, the place that once held my dream career, the place that was supposed to nurture and support my son to make him ready for the big wide world.
What it did instead was teach him that he had to “fit in,” that he had to break off little pieces of himself so that he ‘looked’ and ‘acted’ like everyone else.
It taught him to suppress his strongest feelings, his most important needs and his true identity.
This was the final stretch of primary school and the thought of moving up to high school felt huge for him. And it left me feeling broken, questioning my every decision and feeling torn, because I knew that his school was doing the best they could.
They just didn’t have the funding, the training, the time or the understanding that was needed to give my son the platform to shine.
A Battle for Belonging
Moving on seven weeks and we are now in High School…my son doesn’t say he hates school now. He gets dressed without too much encouragement. He doesn’t cry in the morning. And he chats to me on the journey to school.
At 8:50 he puts his coat on, he grabs his bag, and, yes, he still puts the glasses on. But I’m noticing that he’s pushing them up his head and not actually using them to mask his eyes anymore.
He gives me a hug.
He still asks the same questions each morning, “What’s for lunch and who is picking me up?” And then off he goes.
He skips. He bounces. And he leaves me with a smile on his face.
The mask is dropping. He’s learning that it’s ok to be him.
Learning to Be Himself
His new teachers are fully trained.
They recognised that he was getting tired last week, so they’ve scheduled sensory breaks for him every day.
They recognised that he needs to move — and he’s learning that this is ok.
In fact, he’s coming home and writing stories. The child who wrote no more than one line in an English lesson in Year 6 (I saw the evidence in his books!) is now writing pages and pages every day. He takes these into school and shares them with his teachers and class.
He’s proud of himself, and he’s being accepted for who he is.
The mask is slipping, and I couldn’t be happier.
Every Child Deserves This
We battled hard for this High School. We didn’t give up because we knew it was right for our son. The battle drained us physically, mentally and financially, but it was worth every penny and every second of stress just to see our boy happy.
Just because a child attends school doesn’t mean they’re thriving.
At best they may be surviving — but that isn’t enough.
They deserve more.
It’s time that there was enough funding, support and education in schools to allow all children to shine, no matter who they are, what their background is, whether they’re neurotypical or neurodiverse.
Each and every child should be given the opportunity to be themselves, because that’s what makes our world a rich, diverse and interesting place to live.
Connect with Holly
If Holly’s story resonated with you, you can find out more about the incredible work she does through her tutoring business, Holly Booth Tutoring.
Holly has a gift for seeing each child as a whole person, not just a set of grades or targets. She takes the time to understand their individual strengths, quirks, worries and dreams, and then tailors her support to help them feel safe, valued and capable.
Her calm, nurturing approach means children don’t just learn - they grow and they thrive. They rediscover their confidence, build trust, and start to see themselves as capable learners again.
📚 Find out more on Facebook: @Holly Booth Tutoring
💬 Or search Holly Booth Tutoring to connect directly.
Thank you, Holly, for sharing your family story so honestly and bravely. 💙
If you’d like to share your own story of creating safe spaces for children, get in touch.
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