My name is, oh wait, I decided to keep this blog anonymous.
Why would I do that, you ask? First, for the sake of my son. I am not ashamed of his autism but, he is too young to give me permission to publicly share his life with the world. I'm not judging those of you who do. Having a face to go with the stories helps make them feel real and I do post about his autism on my regular facebook page. I just felt like this should be separate somehow. Second, I know myself. Knowing that you knew who I was could effect what I write. I want to free to be completely honest and free to write anything. Third, I don't want to have to defend what I write or answer questions in my everyday real life interactions about my posts. I want to keep this part of it on the internet.
So who is my son? He is in elementary school, an only child and a real cutie! He is autistic and was diagnosed with PDD-NOS before the recent DSM change. He is verbal and mainstreamed with accommodations. He is bright, sweet and fun....he is also obsessive, exhausting, anxious and sometimes violent.
A few years ago, a friend thought it would be a good idea for me to write about what it is like to raise a child on the autism spectrum. I thought about it for a while, then decided against it. I had come to realize that no one can really understand what it is like unless you are living it. As I aged, I began to see that until you walk in someone's shoes, you can't ever completely get where they are coming from. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to understand or show empathy and compassion. It just means that I know your attempts to understand will fall short if you haven't lived it. Fall short? That sounds bad but I didn't mean it that way. All attempts to understand my child are appreciated and well received. Just because you can't completely get all of it, doesn't mean that you can't learn some of it.
So, why write anything at all? I think it will be therapeutic, not only for me, but for other parents who have similar experiences. I know when I talk to another parent going through the same issues, it really helps me. Maybe I can help someone else. I also think that if you are reading this because you know someone or have family on the spectrum, it could help you be a better support system.
I encourage discussion in the comments section of any post. Please be respectful and kind to each other. You may not agree with all of my posts or with others comments but, try to disagree with grace.
