Category: Parenting

Teaching Him “Hello”

I still understood next to nothing about Autism and even less about what it would be like to have a non-verbal child.

Glitter, rainbows, and the pure, unadulterated chaos of a Scandinavian Death Metal mosh pit.

The hour would end, the door would close, and we would all be alone together again.

As the parent to a child with Autism, it pulls me back to the early days of his life…

The thing is, I get it. I get why he wants to run around in the middle of the night…

That’s when being really cool became something I talk about in the past tense.

My parenthood is neither painful nor does it require relief. When I say that I accept my son as he is, I’m not trying to fool myself and others.

When he was two, I could never imagine five. When he was five, I could never imagine seven.

It’s not about speech, spectrums, or understanding. It’s about who we are as people.

I had done nothing wrong, but at the time, their confused glances sure made me feel that way.