Queen Elsa has autism. It wasn't until I was actually reading the book to my children that I put all the pieces together- even though I have, just as most parents, watched the movie Frozen more times than I can remember.
The words on the page leaped out at me. When I read that Anna and Elsa's "parent's worried that people would fear Elsa's powers. To keep her gift a secret, they surrounded the castle with walls and never let anyone inside. But whenever Elsa had strong feelings, the magic still spilled out." It all made perfect sense to me.
I can completely relate to the girl's parents. In fact this is exactly what I have done. Sure I may not have built any walls surrounding our home, simply due to council regulations, however I have successfully shut out all of my beautiful friends, for many, many, years in order to keep my children's gift a secret.
All the signs were there. I am just so surprised that I didn't pick up on it sooner. Every case of autism is different, with different levels of severity as well as different characteristics being displayed in the individual.
I dare say that the power Elsa possessed to be able to make snow and ice with just her hands was symbolic of her severe melt downs.
It should be noted that I have no medical qualifications, I can't actually diagnose autism. I am a mother, and I do possess a small degree of first hand experience with autism however and I have an idea of how wondrous it is.
Of course I know how outrageous and far fetched my hypothesis might sound, and that Queen Elsa does not even really exist. However autism does.
Disney's movie Frozen is brilliant on a great number of levels. It has captivated both the young and old. It's even taught children that they can save themselves, they can be their own hero and they don't need to rely on anyone to rescue them.
The message of strength and hope resides with me in a very different way though. It makes me believe that maybe one day my firstborn who is incredibly brave yet extremely private and my second born who is unbelievably strong yet won't utter a single word, could possibly "let it go" and gain control over their magic.
Even if they never do, nothing changes between us. We will always be able to communicate with one another without ever needing to speak a single word.
My children's powers are astounding, and there is nothing to fear about their magic. Perhaps I only keep them hidden so that I don't have to share them with the world.
This blog was originally posted on Autism Speaks here
Rochelle blogs at Forever Someone's Mother