Saturday, June 20, 2015

A Father's Day Song I Did Not Correct

   It's Father's Day! Great dads are truly awesome and I know this for a fact because I have an absolutely great dad who in my opinion is what a dad should be in every way. In the last few days I have noticed some hostility on social media when it comes to single parents in regard to single moms potentially taking credit on Father's Day. Raising kids without fathers and for autism families this seems to be especially true. It's not an easy ride and many dads run for whatever reason but I also know there are some single dads out there raising kids with and without autism alone because a mother ran as well. Both are not uncommon to hear anymore.

   Yesterday my son sang me a Happy Father's Day song he learned at school and no I didn't tell him I am not his father.  I didn't sit down and explain his father is absent in his life and correct his song he  worked extremely hard to learn and spontaneously sing to me.  The reason beyond how hard he works to just do something like this is easy, I am both.  Just like single fathers who are busting their backs every day to do the work of two.  Moms who have to toughen up a bit and dads who have to soften up a bit are a common dynamic in our society these days.

   We get up in morning and take on the day acting as both when we need to, on little sleep and a lot of motivation.  Some of that motivation is to ensure our child doesn't feel the absence of the absent parent because we are kicking ass at being everything they need.  On Father's Day a single mom could wallow in the absence just as on Mother's Day a single father could but it doesn't create a presence to point out the absence and it certainly doesn't change what is required of us through the day.  When my son, who used to be nonverbal, busts out a Father's Day song that ends with an I love you and a smile there is no way I would take away that moment he has worked tirelessly for by pointing out an absence.  He knows a man is a father and he knows I am his mom.  He sees and understands socially that other kids have dads present because his awareness is impeccable. If he wants to sing the song he learned to mom, he gets a fist bump, a hug, and a great job!

   I say on Father's Day a single mom is allowed to celebrate her presence as both just as on Mother's Day a dad should be allowed to celebrate as both.  When you are doing both jobs to the best of your ability it's okay to recognize that and pat yourself on the back.  So, happy Father's Day to moms who didn't intend on being a father but are trying, a late happy Mother's Day to those dads who didn't intend on being a mother and never stop trying.  Also, a huge politically correct and socially acceptable happy Father's Day to dads who's entire motivation is to be the best dad a child could ever have because no matter how hard someone tries, no one can truly take the place of that.
 

 

  

  

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Yes, Kids With Autism Are Full Of Imagination!

   It's almost time!  Almost time for the moment my son has been waiting for, for months.  Jurassic World is about to come out and I cannot wait to see how my son reacts.  You see, it's not just a 5 year old who loves dinosaurs, it's a 5 year old who loves Jurassic Park.  He has mastered the art of the velociraptor call and when he needs to feel brave, like his first day of baseball, he will turn into a T-Rex. Not just any T-Rex but the Jurassic Park T-Rex and has also mastered the sound it makes in the movie. While kicking the dirt and roaring like a dinosaur he isn't showing an autism behavior but a little boy tuning into what makes him feel brave. Autism just limits how he communicates that feeling.  He finds action figures that resemble Dr. Grant and not only watches all 3 movies, but is very fond of the extra two bonus material discs.

   He routinely mimics the film score and I can't count how many times he has asked me to drive faster because a T-Rex is chasing the car.  He attends Easter Seals Autism Center, which by the way has changed his life completely, and there is an atrium on the way in that is indeed Jurassic Park in his world.  No, this is not an autism "obsession" it is a little boy who is just flat out loves Jurassic Park that started last summer on a trip to the ocean where he watched it for the first time.  I recently bought him a Jurassic Park shirt and I have bought him dinosaur shirts many times, but this one he will not wear.  However he will carefully spread it out on display to look at because he loves it so much. I could even say overwhelmed by just how much he loves it!  I have high hopes one day he will actually put it on.  Also purchased him a set of hot wheels from the new movie but he will not open the box. It stays in tact and again, he loves it so much he doesn't want it altered in any way.  He carries it around kindly rejecting any offers to open it for him.  He has recently discovered a poster in the Dairy Queen window that advertises a Jurassic World Blizzard and although he won't eat ice cream, we stopped to get the cup and while we waited he practiced his velociraptor call, admiring the cup when he finally got his little hands on it saying "this is so cool!" then trying to mimic the brontosaurus sounds that the people around us could never understand but I know exactly what he is doing and why.

   The autism challenge with this love for Jurassic Park is going to see it.  He has never been to a movie theater and I know he may not be able to handle it at all.  I personally can't tolerate the noise level in a movie theater and he has very sensitive hearing.  Expecting him to sit and stay calm is not really a fair expectation to place on him just yet, mostly because he has been excited for months about Jurassic World and the concept of being still and quiet is still being taught.  A big question for an autism parent is always to try or not to try?  Often we know it won't work but we also have that thought of, but what if it does work?  Most likely we will skip the theater and attempt a drive-in movie where volume is under our control and getting a little excited in the car is perfectly fine but that bedtime routine of 7pm may just take us home early, long before the movie begins.  If nothing gets this little Jurassic Park fan watching it on the big screen we wait until it's released on DVD.  They say in order to understand autism you have to get into their world and that's true, but sometimes you just have to remember what it was like to be a kid and what kind of adventures imagination takes you on. Lately his 5 year old imagination has had him on adventures that I would think look a lot like this.....
                                          
This picture is not my property, I snatched it off the internet because it sums it all up, and it's cool.=)  

Monday, June 1, 2015

Why I Love It When We Don't Talk About Autism.

  First rule of autism....talk about autism is a quote I once read on Facebook and when your raising awareness this is pretty important or just trying to help the people close to you understand.  Over the last few years, moments have stood out to me as some of the greatest moments for us as a family and it completely demolishes that first rule of autism.  Maybe it's selfish but sometimes the word autism in general makes me tired and I am mother of 3 so I am tired enough.

   There has been times I have been in company that the topic of autism seems to take over, and the interest/curiosity is appreciated and important but as an autism mom, some of my favorite moments have been around people who don't talk about autism at all.  I know, shame on me for that feeling but there is no greater feeling than being around people who know there is much more to my son and our family in general than autism.  They might know if my son retreats for some quiet time why he does it and they might know if I keep a close eye and leave early why I do it but they don't talk about it and it's a bit of a friendship gift they don't even know they are giving me.  Also a gift to my son because for a while there I was afraid he would think his first name was autism it came up so much in conversation around him.  Thanks to ABA and his ability to speak a little we have confirmed he knows his name is Phillip, thank goodness!
 
   An autism parent really never mentally gets a break from autism, which is something we have very much in common with our kids, we are in it together 24/7.  We think about it from the moment the day begins to the moment it ends and many parents throughout the night, if they are coping with sleep issues. We are constantly considering routine, behaviors, what works, what doesn't, autism friendly places to go, autism not friendly places to not go, how far from home we can go, how long we can or cannot stay, and all the things that happen in between because no matter how much we think about autism through the day we can't control everything.  Things happen no matter what, no matter how hard we work at it, and no matter how many things we try to prevent.

   The moment we are with friends, family, or whoever it may be and we can just talk about life or basically any topic that doesn't involve autism, it's a moment of freedom and personally I cherish it.   The moment our children are just playing, hopefully with other children, and not hearing the word autism is very much a moment of cherished freedom for them too.  I love those moments I can watch my son play and he is just allowed to be a kid like other kids.  I also love those moments I can just be a mom like other moms. Trust me, if something is about to happen or could happen the topic will come up but another good rule to remember about autism is...you don't always have to talk about autism.