Today my son decided he finally wanted to go see his favorite local punk rock band, The Fibs, play. A big deal for him because even though he is a huge fan he struggles with being overwhelmed and has always refused in the past. He listens to the music, watches Youtube videos, knows all the band members but seeing them play has just not been an option in his mind. Today he decided he could do it and it ended up being the best day of his life.
There was no trick or tactic I used to get him there or make it an epic day. The entire reason it worked and was the greatest day ever for him was all the right people. At one point he nearly lost it and refused to go back into the building but the lead singer of his favorite band said just a few words to him and he pulled it together to not miss the reason he was there. When they began to play he was right up front and jumping around. Then he found himself with the microphone and being lifted on stage to stand with the four guys he admires. Although slightly terrified he did not lose his cool at all. After the show he was given a job to help carry band equipment and that simple act of kindness was icing on the cake for him.
You can do all the therapies possible, try every diet on earth, utilize every autism tactic or advice there is but in the end what really makes the biggest impact is who is in your child's life and how they treat you. My child is lucky enough to look up to four of the coolest guys in world. They just see a kid who looks up to them and that's all that matters. If someone asked me 3 years ago if I could see my son at a punk rock show on stage with a microphone in his hand I would have laughed hysterically but today that's what happened because of all the best people and only because of that.
Huge thank you to The Fibs for being the kind of people I want my son to admire and strive to be like. Along with creating some crazy good music so many people love!
