To the Parents of Children With Autism: I See You
To the parents out there who spend their weeks consciously trying to attend to their child’s needs (special or otherwise) and still feel like at the end of the week it’s not enough – I see you.
To the parents who cut their children’s sandwiches up in specific ways and serve them on certain plates and pick out all the peas or only serve white food on Wednesdays – I see you.
To the parents who cut off tags, shop for non-scratchy shirts, buy four different pairs of shoes in the wish that one will help their child feel comfortable – I see you.
To the parents who throw their hands up in the air in utter desperation and frustration because you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel and nothing seems to be helping – I see you.
To the parents who attend meeting after meeting, appointment after appointment, trying to make more sense of their child’s depth of need – I see you.
To the parent who will sleep on the tile floor all night long and use a towel for a blanket so their child will sleep in their own bed and not be awake all night long – I see you.
To the parents who actively advocate and spread education and awareness in the vain hope their child may feel a little less segregated from the rest – I see you.
To the parents who feel isolated and alone but also daunted at the prospect of friendships – I see you.
To the parents who carry guilt because they can’t give their children equal attention – I see you.
To the parents afraid a label may place limitations on their child – I see you.
To the couples who are trying to scratch out chunks of time for themselves so they can identify as more than mother and father, but often feel like it’s a fruitless exercise – I see you.
I see you all. You are not alone. It is hard and you are doing such a wonderful job by your children. They may not recognize it now or even for a few years, but they will and they will be so thankful and proud. You never ever once gave up on them.
And finally:
To the child with autism who may feel lost in a world that is overwhelming and confusing – I see you, and believe me when I say you are loved and supported and your world will gradually make more sense one day because we live in a world slowly beginning to embrace the beauty of neuro-diversity, and you have so much to teach it.
By Jessica Offer:
https://themighty.com/2016/03/recognizing-efforts-of-autism-parents-and-autistic-children/
