Prince Charming, Blue Prince

By Dr. Daniela Araujo

Prince Charming is known in Spanish as Blue Prince, and so this story begins.

It’s said that there was a Blue Prince. It’s said he was polite and had good manners. However, his days hadn’t been always simple.

Since being a child he had to understand the gaudy colors in the playgrounds and the loud music in the children places. Later, he discovered that moving frequently or claiming attention by giving a little push didn’t offer good results. But above all, he felt that if he didn’t change his way of seeing the world, it would be extremely difficult to fit in.

So, with the help of his parents, his grandparents, his aunts and uncles, his teachers and his few friends, he learned how to bury his instincts by facing his fears, letting his ears get used to strong noises and his skin to exacerbated touches, focalizing his movements in a tiny part of his body, and paying special attention to the choice of his words and the direction of his look.

He grew up adapting his condition to his environment, enjoying the little achievement first, getting a normal life later and finally becoming a Blue Prince, different but acceptable.

But one day a beautiful princess arrived to his like. She was funny and unprejudiced. She laughed with his jokes, despite hearing them hundreds of times, she listened to dinosaur’s facts with devotion and turned the music down any time they went to a place where it was too loud. She was a princess who uncharmed him with an only hug and felt deeply in love with him since the day she met him.

They shared their days and nights. They had the ability of understand each other without talking. They had their spaces, their silence and their crisis. They had desire, anguish and fears. But above all, they shared the most pure feelings and the most brutal honesty. Because when the Prince was with her he forgot his camouflage and acted without fear of being ridiculous. He was genuine, with his sensations, his movements and his absents. It didn’t matter whether they were in public or alone, anytime he wanted to hug her, he did it. If he wanted to dance with her, he did it and if he wanted to keep silent he could do it to.

Because, suddenly, he didn’t want to be a Blue prince anymore, he just wanted to be himself. Because, maybe, he wasn’t the one who has to change. If his princess was happy with him, the rest of the world could be too.

Because being blue, green or purple doesn’t define people, but being able of seeing the world differently, make us better and offers a gorgeous way of love.

So if you see a Blue Prince, remember that his color is just one of his multiplies attributes.

Dr. Daniela Araujo is a pediatrician who believes that pediatric patient’s wellness includes physical, psychological and social areas. She graduated from the Buenos Aires University in Argentina and then completed her post graduate studies in clinical pediatric. But her life got a meaningful change when she became the mother of Juan, a boy in the autistic spectrum. From the day she got the diagnosis she realized how important it is to work in inclusion and started working in Kindergarten and Primary schools to help teachers, parents and the students it selves. Therefore she decided to write storybooks in order to introduce the theme not only in the classrooms, but also in the family table of those who like to learn about autism.