As far as anyone was concerned I was totally useless, I was hopeless at any sport, couldn't manage the various crafts that boys of my age could do in their sleep. As far as everyone was concerned I was a real WIMP.

Where I had the advantage over my peers in academics, acting and singing there I was always first in my class in all academic subjects and the my peers didn`t like that one bit. Oh I wasn't anymore intelligent than they were, just that I studied more than they did.

I was five foot two and weighed about ninety five pound and very slim, I wore spectacles and had to wear a hearing aid to help overcome the deafness in my left ear and was suffering gynnaecomastia.

At home it was ok my brothers and father didn't mind I was inept any of the stuff they did so I helped mum around the house.

I was one those people that were tidy with a place for everything and everything in it's place and used to annoy everyone by putting thing back were they should be but except for that I was usually left alone.

I was a loner and had no friends in the neighbourhood or at school and was content to sit and read a book more often than not. My parents were concerned by my lack of friends but I told them I didn't mind, friends or no friends made no difference to me.

My after school activities were usually choir, acting or at dance class, I didn't make money like the other boys by doing jobs like mowing lawns instead I used to help out the older residents in the area with shopping or similar errands or maybe helping them to clean around the house.

By the time I was ten I was helping mum doing the laundry and monday eveings would see us both the laundry room at our ironing boards doing the ironing while listening to the radio while dad and the boys watched sport on TV.

On my eleventh birthday we held the usual party except for my brothers there were never any kids so it was usually the older residents that I shopped for that came to the party.

This year was bit different as far as presents went from my guests, mum and dad got me the usual clothes and a new computer my brothers gave me book vouchers. The gifts from the resident this year included a sewing machine ( it wasn't new but worked) a sewing kit and a knitting and crochetting kit along with instruction books and patterns.

Mrs McEwan the oldest resident gave me a hug and told me that I should take these as hobbies and the older women in the area would teach me to sew, knit,do embroidery and crochette. I thanked them for the gifts and promised that they would be used.

After everyone had left dad took my brothers off somewhere what they were doing I didn`t know so mum and me went down into the basement to her sewing room and after moving a few things around moved my new gifts into my own work area and over the next few weeks I had managed to master the basics of sewing and knitting.

My time in junior school was due to end in a week and senior school was looming after the summer holidays, I knew I would get the same name calling and bullying but as long it didn't get violent I just tended to ignore it.

The school finally closed for the summer holidays and I had another appointment with the specialist I was seeing at the hospital which meant more blood testing to check on my gynnaecomastia.So far it hadn't got any worse.

At senior school we all had to wear uniforms so I was taken shopping to get what was required, I was excused Physical Education and was going to be doing what they called Domestic Science instead, Domestic Science was usually an all girls class and for the first time a boy (ME) was going to taking part.I had also been excused woodwork and metalwork and would be in the sewing class, I think everyone concerned about me injuring myself with tools.

Because a lot of the kids families took them away for the holidays there weren't any dance or acting classes so I was invited to join mum and the women at their sewing club which I did on wednesdays evenings and saturday afternoons. At last I found skills I could use in life and enjoyed the time in the sewing club.

Usually we went away for a couple weeks during the holidays but my parents wanted to make sure that everything was ready for me starting at my new school. My brothers did go away for a two week camping holiday before they started their respective apprenticeships.

While they were away mum and I decided to clean up their room, when we went in we found a right mess and new it would take at least two days to clean everything. First we got all the clothes that were lying about and put them in the laundry room, them stripped their beds then went and started their laundry.

The next day we dusted and vacuumed evrything and after ironing everything put everything back in their rooms, mum had shown dad the state of the room and he was furious with the mess that had been left. When the boys got back from their holiday dad tore a strip of them and them that they had better get their act together as mum wasn`t their to slave for them.

Mum had a good cleaning system, we were responsible for our own rooms and as the boys helped dad and did the real messy and heavy jobs around the house. She would with my help do everything else, laundry had to be put in the laundry room before leaving the house on monday mornings at the latest.

Eventually summer holidays were over and it was time to start school, as a first year I had to attend an indoctrination and orientation day the previous week, were we got our class time tables, shown around the school and told the various rules about bullying and discrimination. During the day I was taken to see the headmaster and headmistress to discuss my school curricullum.

They explained that they had been informed of my condition and that allowance had been made for my safety and well being. The headmistress started telling me about the sewing and domestic classes I was now to do and asked how I felt being the only boy in those classes. I explained to her that I could sew, knit, embroider, and crochette and could also cook, do laundry etc. At this she smiled and said that she thought all boys should be able to do the basics.

The two heads did their best to make me feel at ease and I felt I could trust them especially the headmistress. They asked about what else I did in my spare time so I told them I danced, did a bit of acting and was in the church choir as a soloist. This had them both beaming, the headmaster was the one that took charge of school plays and concerts and the headmistress ran the dancing that all pupils were required to attend. Before I left them the wished me luck and told me that if I had problems to come and speak to someone.

As I left the Headmasters study the headmistress asked me to go with her to her office for a minute or two which I did, she seemed a bit embarressed and had turned red with blushing. She asked me to take off my jacket which I did, I knew she was going to refer to my gynaecomastia but I had grown up with it and it didn't bother me anymore.

I could see that she wanted to say something but was worried it might offend me so I told her I wasn`t embarressed by condition, it was medical and nothing could be done about it at the moment. Sheepishly she told me that I should wear a bra as I would have to remove my jacket if it got too hot or because of some of the practical things we did in classes.

Mum had just arrived at the school to pick me up and was brought up to the headmistresses office were the apologetic woman repeated what she told me, my breasts could be seen through the shirt. Mum wasn`t faised by the suggestion and calmed the headmistress down telling her that I and the rest of my family knew I would face problems with this condition but that we all had to adapt to what was best.

After we left the school mum took me to a ladies foundation garments shop that a friend of hers owned and after explaining the problem had me fitted for several bra's one of which I kept on. Marion the woman who owned the shop was starting to get very sympathetic but I told her to stop, I had a problem that I had to live with a sympathy wasn't very helpful. I apologised to her in case I upset her but she just smiled and said if I needed any help or advice to get in contact with her.

The bra`s mum had paid for weren't very lacey but they were covered in a silk and were front fastening to make it easier to put them on they were the plainest she could get anda bra they did make me feel more comfortable.