Do you know what else Emma does well? She can draw almost anything you ask: dragons, unicorns, robots—you name it! One day after school, when Emma was sad and didn’t feel like talking, she made a drawing of herself and one of her friends. My mom looked at the drawing and said, “Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, I know what my mom meant! After looking at Emma’s detailed drawing, I could tell that she and her friend had had an argument that day. Emma didn’t have to say anything—her drawing said it all. 

And speaking of arguments: of course, things are not always perfect between Emma and me! There are times when our games do not work at all, and I get really frustrated. A couple of years ago, when we were seven years old and were playing the “Guess Who” board game, Emma could not come up with questions on her own—which is the whole point of the game! I had to tell her what questions to ask me, which made it really boring. So, I lost my patience and stormed out of the playroom. Then I found my mom in the kitchen. 

“Mom, how come Emma can’t talk like me?” I asked. “We’re exactly the same age!”     

My mom sat me down at the kitchen table. “Well, Addie, Emma’s brain works differently from yours. Do you remember what I told you before about the brain?” 

“You told me that the brain and the body work together,” I said.  

“That’s right. Every time you think, speak, or move any part of your body, it is your brain that is helping make it happen.” 

“So, is it my brain that is making my mouth move right now?” 

“Yes,” my mom responded. “Your brain sends and receives messages to and from every part of your body. It’s complicated, but the important thing to remember is that, even though everybody has a brain, not every brain works the same.” 

“Why not?” I asked. 

“Because every single brain in the world is unique,” she said. “Some brains are good at understanding math, for example, other brains might be good at memorizing words. Some brains can understand new ideas very quickly, other brains might need more time to understand new things and to get used to them.” 

I thought about it, then asked, “Is that why it is hard for Emma to speak? Is it because it takes longer for her brain than it takes my brain to figure out what words to say?”  

“Yes,” my mom said. “That is why she goes to a speech therapist—so she can get better and faster at getting her words out.” 

It was good to hear my mom’s explanation. I now understand that just because someone has a tough time doing certain things, it doesn’t mean they can’t do other things well. And just because our brains work differently, it doesn’t mean we can’t find a way to communicate. We just need to be patient and try to find different ways to express our thoughts and understand each other.  

Do you have a friend like Emma? If so, I hope you have learned a lot from each other. And I hope you continue to have lots of fun together!