We call ourselves JELIBEANS!!
See why here!
http://www.jelibean.com/ladder/index.ph ... &Itemid=28
this is what I told my kids. Imagine a sweet shop, you know, one of those really old fashioned ones, the ones with a bell that rings as you open the door, the shopkeeper with his white pinny on, standing behind the counter, guarding the array of jars that line the shelves - the smell, colour and variety of those jars, scores of different types. Standing proudly in the centre are two jars, side by side, one full up to the rim of the lid with jellybeans, and the other full of marshmallows. Both jars are appealing and eye-catching for different reasons.
Jellybeans are a rainbow of colours, different sizes and shades, but more importantly very different flavours (pina colada is a personal fave of mine). Jellybeans are renowned for their brittle outside shell, but with that soft melting chewy bit in the centre. They're unpredictable, you never know quite what you have till the flavour has taken over your taste buds, by which time, it's too late, if you find you don't like it and want to spit it out.
Marshmallows, however, all appear similar, pink and white fluffy neat shapes that don't really taste of very much except a comforting sweetness. Marshmallows are enjoyable and they're squishy, popping back into shape easily. Dip your hand in a bag of marshmallows and you're pretty sure of what you're going to get. You can eat them for ever.
Likening people to jellybeans and marshmallows is easy and fun. It takes a very personal issue and makes it impersonal, therefore eliminating any blame, and any of those confusing labels that these experts pin on us and our children. I felt my Type One children were like little jumping jellybeans, colourful, tasty, and different. They each had their shimmering shells, and there were surprisingly jelly-like and uncertain little hearts and minds inside that bright thin shell.