You're Not Alone

One of the big reasons I blog is to give other folks a glimpse of life with an autistic child, to let them know that it is not something to be afraid of, and that there is someone else out here going through things you may be going through. There is a sense of support and security, a sense of comfort, in knowing you aren't the only one out here doing this, experiencing this, trying to help your child and your family.

I know I tend to keep the negatively neatly tamed here. Yes, we have bad days and weeks and months and they get blogged about, but the run-of-the-mill, every-day roller-coaster ride of having children, and especially special-needs children, I kind of leave out for the most part. It may seem our lives are all fun and roses and smiles. Like that last post about the beach? I left out the major double meltdown when clouds appeared on the horizon and I decided it was time to head home before rain hit. Why? Because personally, I find the fun more notable, and more worth remembering than the screaming that followed. Perhaps it is a leftover of being a mom- you keep the baby and forget the labor pains.

Some of my readers have commented to me what a lovely summer we are having. Yes, we are. And no, we aren't. Its been very much our usual roller-coaster. We are having some issues, some of them minor, some of them not so minor. Name-calling, biting, running, melting, hyperactivity, yes, they are still part of our lives.

So folks, you aren't alone.

If you’ve ever been frustrated with your child’s progress (or lack thereof) to the point of wanting to cry or scream (or actually crying or screaming), you’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been so afraid of a regression that you stayed up half the night trying to think of what to do for your child, you’re not alone.

If you’ve cried in public out of sheer stress of dealing with a melt down, you’re not alone.

If you’ve ever lost it in an IEP meeting, you’re not alone.

If you’ve ever prayed hard for a stiff drink while trying to get your melting-down child to a car that was clear across the parking lot, you’re not alone.

All those days and nights of stress, tears, tearing out your hair, worrying, studying, chasing children, and wishing your life was being spent somewhere else, and thought you were alone? You weren’t. I was right there with you.

I am still right here with you. I just want to put out that reminder that there are ups and downs all over, and the ups are every bit worth those downs. There is a reason God put wine upon this earth, and sometimes I need an extra glass, just like you.

If you're having one of those minutes, hours, days, weeks, summers... here's a hug for you. You aren't alone.