The Way He Did Today

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Something happened today during our homeschooling session. It’s been five weeks since he last went to school.

We have talked about the whole COVID 19 lockdown situation a couple of times since all this started.

Today, his teacher sent a new social story and asked me to read it to him. The picture of the school building in the story looked a lot like the school he goes to.

As I was reading it with him, I saw that he had started crying. There was no sound, just tears trickling down his cheeks.

My boy never complains.

He never asks for toys.

He never asks for us to buy him things.

He never asks for new clothes or shoes.

He never even asks me for treats.

My superhero has a superpower and it’s patience and compliance.

Of course my son screams, cries and acts silly, but times like this one help me realise so much.

They remind me that when he is driving me crazy it’s actually the lack of understanding that is making him anxious and confused.

He is not giving me a hard time. He is having a hard time. There is a difference.

If he could cope with it, he would not let it show.

He wouldn’t only shed tears, silently, like the way he did today.

Written by, Zainab Qadeer

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Kate Swenson

Kate Swenson lives in Minnesota with her husband Jamie, and four children, Cooper, Sawyer, Harbor and Wynnie. Kate launched Finding Cooper's Voice from her couch while her now 11-year-old son Cooper was being diagnosed with autism. Back then it was a place to write. Today it is a living, thriving community of people who want to not only advocate for autism, but also make the world a better place for individuals with disabilities and their families. Her first book, Forever Boy, will be released, April 5, 2022.

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