When I was younger, my brother used to taunt me, saying I was like ‘Cheese’. No, not the dairy product, but rather a character in the tv show called Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends.
If you’ve never watched an episode of the show, it takes place in a world where imaginary friends coexist with their creators, and once the creator moves on or grows up, the imaginary friend is placed in Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. There, they wait to be adopted by someone new. The show follows the character Mac, who was pressured to give up his imaginary friend, Bloo, by his mother. Mac visits Bloo every day and has become close with some of the other imaginary friends.
The character Cheese did not appear until later in the series. The character is known for repeating words, screaming, and not understanding boundaries. When he was on the screen, it was clear that the characters strongly disliked him. However, when I first watched these episodes, I actually liked him. I thought he was so funny and whenever he came on the screen I knew it would be a good episode.
My brother and I would spend Saturday mornings watching this show and loving every minute. As time went on and we got older, he began to torment me, laughing and saying that I was like Cheese, followed up by stating how annoying the character was. These, of course, to the younger me were fighting words. What started off as a moment of peace, became me swinging at my brother while screaming for my Mom.
Being the younger sibling, I always wanted approval from my older brother, though I would have never admitted it. I still loved Cheese when I watched the show alone, but when I was with my brother I was ready to fight for my life from his teasing and torment.
Looking back at our childhood, my brother and I laugh at this. In hindsight, maybe he was right: I am Cheese. I’m obnoxious, I talk way too much, I often repeat things, and I do not understand social cues. I was in Special Ed when I was younger and I used to be so embarrassed, the comparison to Cheese killed me because I was ashamed of being neurodivergent.
Currently, I am proud to admit I am Cheese. I used to fear claiming this and accepting who I was due to the fear of how others would react. Now, at 20 years old, if I could go back and talk to my younger self, I would just hug her and tell her it’s okay. Learning to embrace yourself when you go through the pains and trials of growing up and being constantly reminded you are different, was extremely challenging. I still trip up sometimes and wish I was “normal”, but the term “normal” means nothing to me now.
Cheese was always my favorite character, yet I changed my opinion in order to get approval. Now, I can proudly say that I am just like Cheese and he will ALWAYS be my favorite.
Link to image: here