Why It's Important that Jesse's Mom Holds Him in 'We Belong'

253 words

2 minute read

When I first wrote chapter 29 of We Belong, it was the summer of 2016.

In February of 2020, after I finished writing the story, I stumbled upon the chapter again.  

In its original form, it was scant - sparse.  It gave only the barest details, just indicating that a conversation had taken place.  It gave no indication, however, what the content of that conversation may have been.

I made the decision to go back.  To add more.  (I added more up to the day before I posted this chapter...because it was so important to me.)

[Image: A stock photo where a young son and his mother hug each other.  Both are smiling.]

Over the years - and in a few different mediums - I've noticed a pattern.  Kids with CP are not held or cuddled by their parents.  (Both real, actual kids with CP and characters with CP in books.)  Therefore, it felt vitally important to not only include Jesse's conversation with his mom, but to make it clear that she holds him physically close as the conversation unfolds.

It was important to me that Jesse's mom asks Jesse for consent and respects his fear and hesitance.

We often don't know what's missing in media until it's written or created into existence.  I wanted to create a scene that communicated clearly that children with CP can be hugged and loved by parents in a media landscape where this sort of representation is sorely lacking.

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