Posts Tagged ‘autism mom’
I Can’t Tell You How To Feel About Autism
My son has autism. He is autistic. Whichever you prefer that I say I guess. He is the happiest child you will ever meet. He moves through his life with a simple, silly, determined way. His days are filled with hugs, kisses, trains, his Kindle and joy. Every day is the best day of his life. And as his parents, we work VERY hard to make sure his world is perfect. That will not change. Lately, I have been seeing, reading and hearing about the unique shaming that happens to…
Read MoreAutism is Easier When I Take Care of Me
I screamed as loud as I could as the water from the shower head poured over me. I have no idea how long I was in there. I don’t know if anyone heard. Worst of all, I didn’t know if anyone cared. I had reached the end of my rope very quickly in raising a child with autism. With our extreme efforts and my sons lack of progress I told myself I was the problem. I started to consider removing myself from the picture. But the problem didn’t begin overnight. It…
Read MoreAdvice to Parents of Newly Diagnosed Children from a Veteran Autism Mom
“Put him in preschool and join a support group.” Those nine words changed my life forever. We had spent all summer at doctor and therapy appointments trying to get to the bottom of what was going on with Reece. I knew deep down in my mother heart that Reece had autism. I had known for awhile. But I didn’t know what to do, where to go, what should/could happen, nothing. I remember those words like it was yesterday, even though, now, it’s been almost 12 years ago. My first emotion…
Read MoreDiagnosing Autism in Girls…Not So Easy
I’ve learned that girls with autism are better at masking their symptoms than boys. They are able to watch social situations between people, and then copy what is being done. So, when they have their own situation arise, they are often just using what they have learned from seeing other people interact. Also, girls with autism usually have special interests but they are more in line with typical girls their age. But when you look closely, they are much more intense about them than typical girls. Before my daughter Lillian…
Read More13 Steps to Better Self Care
Self Care. Those two dreaded words. As a special needs mama, self care is the first thing to go when I feel sad. My son doesn’t talk. He doesn’t go to school. He doesn’t play. He doesn’t interact with children. He doesn’t play a sport or ride a bike. He doesn’t read. He doesn’t write. We rarely leave our house. We more so just live in his autistic world. And with that life comes a cycle of grief. The not knowing is hard. The knowing is hard. The accepting is…
Read MoreToday, Self Care is…
Today, self care is leaving work early to pick up Sawyer from preschool and waiting with him for five minutes while he examined a crack in the sidewalk. Which he was sure was a secret path to the middle of the earth. As I tried to rush him along he told me, ‘NO MAMA. I am doing science.’ So of course, I squatted down beside him, in the cold and drizzle, and looked for the center of the earth. Self care is getting home in the daylight and walking my…
Read MoreMy Most Important Lesson: Be Kind to Yourself
Everyday I struggle. I am used to accomplishing things, crossing things off my list, working everyday, juggling the 3 boys and their activities, homework, dinner and all the things. I am still learning to accept our new normal- my new normal. The days are very long and there is lots of time with William. The journey itself has been long. After a year and a half of testing, therapies, day treatment and hospitalization my sweet 11 year old now has an ASD diagnosis from Fraser, along with Anxiety and ADHD…
Read MoreTo My Son with Autism: I’m Sorry Kid
Dear Son, I’m writing you this letter, a letter that I know you will most likely never read, mainly because I will probably hide it from you. I have so much that I want to tell you, but with you being only 7 years-old, I feel like this may be too much for you, so instead, I will share it with other parents, who, hopefully, will understand. There are things that, if I had the power, I would change to make your life better. But my job isn’t to change…
Read MoreWhen the Autism Super Mom Gets Depressed
There is a stigma around depression. A really, really ugly one. And I think there’s especially a stigma around mothers who have depression. If you’re depressed, you’re weak. Broken. You are medicated. You cry a lot. You sleep a lot. This isn’t true. At least not for me. I have a wonderful life. Two beautiful children. Three wild dogs. A wonderful and supportive partner. A beautiful home. I’m not weak. I am strong. I am freakishly independent. And I am not broken…at least not completely. I am not medicated. And on…
Read MoreAn Open Letter to the Friend I Pushed Away
I am sitting here thinking about our relationship and about how much I love you. And how I rarely see you. We joke that it’s because life is so busy. We are in our thirties and have jobs and babies. We are in that stage of life I guess. We are always saying that this is the month that we will finally find the time to get together. And when this month passes we will laugh via text and joke about how someday soon we will have more time. One…
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