Today I
am listing in no particular order ten things I love about autism and ten things
I do not love about autism.
Loves
1.
Routine. I can say life is actually easier with
a strict routine. Something I have never had in my life. It is as good for me as it is him much of the time.
2.
Laundry. I have a very small amount of laundry
that I can blame my son for. He only wears clothes when we leave the house and doesn't get very dirty.
3.
Detail. I now live in a way I am forced to
notice detail or I might miss an important clue to how my sons mind is
operating.
4.
Groceries. My grocery list is limited to what I know
he will eat and that leaves almost no room for waste.
5.
Little moments. Little moments used to be the
general idea of what kids will do during a milestone, now the little moments
have nothing to do with prewritten milestones. They are based completely on the
smallest moment my son overcomes something, no matter when and no matter how.
6.
People.
It is much easier to see good people when my child is acting in a way society doesn’t
approve of. It makes who is who very clear.
7.
Knowledge. I have gained more knowledge in the
past year than I ever could have imagined. Learning is growing and I have grown
a whole lot.
8.
Finding Nemo! I had no idea how many times I could
watch Finding Nemo and never get tired of it.
9.
Family. My son having autism brought me back to
the family I should have never been far away from to begin with.
10.
Autism. It is strange how something that could
potentially break a mother’s heart give you more strength, awesome people, a
more open mind, and a healthier outlook on life in general. At the moment they
tell you it feels like the end, but it’s more of a beginning.
What I don’t love
1.
Routine. As much as I like it, I also grow tired
of it. I actually have a love hate feeling towards the constant routine. It can
make life much easier and much harder at the same time.
2.
People. I had no idea how many people in society
could be so judgmental simply by the actions of a toddler. The expectations of complete
strangers are mind blowing to say the least. The standard many people hold a parent to is unrealistic autism or not.
3.
Medical information. I do not like that many
doctors are asking parents more questions than parents are asking doctors. It’s
not supposed to work that way.
4.
Constipation. My son doesn’t get constipated
anymore but every time he is physically uncomfortable doctors always wanted to
blame autism instead of addressing the discomfort. It makes me wonder just how often autism takes the blame and kids leave a doctors office in pain when autism aside, there might be a way to help.
5.
Vaccines. I do not like that vaccine info is so
unclear and no one is 100% positive on the issue.
6.
Resources. Lack of and waiting is a huge
problem. Topped off with wondering if the resource you find will be sufficient
when it begins.
7.
Waffles. I do not like that I know I can’t run
out of frozen waffles.
8.
Crowds. I know my son will become overwhelmed
and this has in fact handed me some unwelcome anxiety but nothing compared to
how my son feels in a crowd.
9.
Grocery stores. I have decided grocery stores
are the leading cause of autism meltdowns everywhere.
10.
Fear. I don’t like that most of society’s judgment
comes from fear of autism or just flat out lack of knowing.
Now that I have
ten on each side of the fence you might notice nearly all of the things I do
not love about autism really have nothing to do with Autism at all. Nearly all
of these things are based on society and lack of knowledge. I hope one day I
can write this list all over again and will be unable to come up with a full
ten things I do not like because all of those things will have evolved for the
better. Phillip will one day find a new breakfast food he likes, he will manage
in a crowd, his routine will be able to change more, and he might even get through
grocery stores in one piece, but the rest he will never have any control over.
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