Jumping in....

and embracing my new title as mother of children on the Autism spectrum.

Now let me just say that I don't ever embrace any label. When I was a mother of a child with Apraxia (still am that) I went to exactly one support group meeting and decided that those people were way too whiny and fatalistic.
After all, my kid was going to learn to talk. Or course he was. Why the heck wouldn't he?
I left that one meeting just shaking my head.

I joined a list-serve and promptly went "no mail" because it was like a national version of the local support group. Lots of grasping at straws. Lots of "Oh my pitiful child."
That is not me.
I know for a fact that there are a whole lot worse things to have than a child who does not speak clearly.
I know how to be very grateful.

That's not to say that I don't pray for my 2 guys daily. That's not to say that I don't work my tail off to get them anything that might give them an advantage. I research. I ponder. I make plans.
But until lately, I never sought out other parents.

The Asperger's diagnosis changed things a little. A long time waiting room mom took me in her arms when I told her the news. "But you kind of knew already. It doesn't change anything except to give you a ticket into the club."

It's not a ticket I ever really wanted. But recently I realised that the ticket might not be to help me and my boys....but to help some other struggling parent. One who had not realised that a diagnosis is not the end of the world. That maybe I could be a person that could say to a parent, "Ok...here's what has worked for us. Yeah, I know the constant talking drives you batty. We have trouble with forming sentences too. Here's what we're doing that has shown some improvement. It does get better....it just takes time."

I have a conference to go to in February about educating children on the Autistic spectrum. I'm attending with a group of moms from our waiting room.

But tomorrow I cross a threshold never crossed before. My own Rubicon.
After being asked for 2 previous years, this year I finally agreed to go help in our hospital's radio fundraiser. The boys and I will go on live broadcast to tell how our therapists have helped out family (Please give money so they can do more.) and how the hospital has made a difference in my children's lives.
I feel kind of silly doing this because I don't think that we're that big of a deal. I mean, we're just a family that have had a little more to deal with than colds but not nearly enough to call attention too.
I mean...my kids are doing great. I know so many others who struggle so much. Mine have had an almost normal life. The play sports. They do well in school. They have friends. They are fun to be around.

Maybe that what parents need to hear.