November / December 2004
Volume 22, Number 6

In this article, I want to tell about what it means to live on your own dreams! I learned this from watching my mother and my friends. I became a butterfly – a young adult who is free to make her own decisions and who has a lot of respect for herself and others! I think that parents need to guide their children and help them become butterflies and as mature and independent as they can be. This is all about the circle of life. As a young woman I make my own decisions. I don’t let my parents make them for me, but they do guide me. When children grow up they need to know and realize that they are special, strong and individuals. I think all people need to follow their own dreams at their own pace.

I have to work hard to follow my dreams. It takes a lot of hard work and confidence. Let me tell you one of my dreams… well, I love to write. Writing makes me proud and it shows a lot of my talent. I don’t only write articles for the Newsletter, I sometimes write poems and stories. I hope to write a book someday and have someone famous publish it for me, like Maya Angelou. She is my favorite author. I even took writing classes in school and hope to continue to take more classes in writing.

I know that, as an individual, I might have differences and may look different, but I am the same inside as all people. We live on our own dreams. We make our own decisions the best we can. We grow. We might not change people’s minds about who we are and what we can do. We can only be our own person.

Here’s some advice for all the parents. You may be scared to be a parent. Not every parent in this world will be perfect, but if I were a parent I think I would do my best to give my child the best life any child could ever dream about. It’s all about love and experiences. Miracles happen, so encourage your child to follow his or her dreams!

- Brianne (Brie) Nobis is a self-advocate and an Aim High Board member -