About Me

I am the proud mother of 6 children. 5 of our children have autism. We do not feel our world has ended, but just begun. We do not chelate, intervene biochemically, give shots of any kind, practice ABA, etc. We treat them as we treat any humanbeing. We treat them with kindness and respect and expect the same from them. They are exceptional children.

Monday, February 11, 2008

WHAT MATTERS MOST....

Today, I spent 3 hours with a lovely reporter and cameraman at my house. Our show aired on ABC almost 1 year ago this week.
We talked about the changes that have come about since we received our home. We talked about how the kids have adjusted to the new home...wonderfully, by the way.
We talked about how this has literally changed our lives.
You have no idea, I said.

I went into detail about all of the outpouring of love and support we received since we received this home. All of the people who approach me and my husband in grocery stores, restaurants and malls to tell us how we "deserved" this home....we don't think that at all, by the way.
I also spoke about the way we are so grateful to the thousands of people and volunteers who gave up a week before Christmas to help our family get the best gift ever.

We have acquired many new friends through the Extreme Makeover journey. This past week, I was ridiculed, slurred, and called horrible names by people who have no idea who I am or anything about us. People who do not like me tried to make me feel as miserable as they are...TRIED TO....
But, it did not work.

I am proud to say that after 47 years of life, I have never been more secure or assure of myself. I am sorry that bothers some, but it is the truth. All I have to do is look around at my children and know that all of our hard work has paid off.
You see, even though these Anonymouses think that we do nothing for our children, they are dead wrong. We work very hard to make sure they are strong and have great character. That is important in this world.
We also make sure that our children have a network of people around them that love them and respect them.

I am so lucky to have the same people around me that have been in my life for many years. I have the pure luck of having friends from elementary school still in my life. Some of these people are like sisters to me (hello Vicki)....
I am very lucky to have the people who educate my children to love them like their own ( hello Mary).
I am lucky to have family members who are there for me when I need them.

People who know our family know that we are good people. They know we get by with alot of love and a whole lot more humor. They know that we adore our children and our children are loved and well cared for...anyone else out there in "cyberville" who does not know us personally and base their assumptions on what they see on television or read in a newspaper are sorely misguided in their ideas of what our family is really like.

I have spoken at a few conferences and have traveled out-of-state to meet with parent's with children with Autism. I have met many children and young adults with Autism....my heart holds a special place for every one of them.
I work at Sensory Integration Workshops with parent's, children, educators and families who are in some way connected with Autism. This has filled my life with much joy.

So, each night, as I tuck each of my children to bed, I know that they are being cared for and loved the best they can be. I know these children have been put on this Earth for a reason and I will make sure they can achieve all that they are meant to achieve.
They are my life. They are the reason I was put on this Earth and really,
That is WHAT MATTERS MOST.

http://www.kvue.com/video/local-index.html?nvid=216934

14 comments:

VAB said...

Beautifully said.

Katie said...

I am in agreement with the above commenter.

J said...

Very nice post, Jeanette. You have much to be proud of, and your children are fortunate to have benefited from having a loving home to grow up in. Kudos :)

Anonymous said...

Likewise.
Best wishes to all of yours from all of ours

Anonymous said...

Jeanette,

You Rock! :-D

vicki said...

I LOVE you too Sweet J.

Thank you for thinking of me like a sister. That means the whole world to me.

I will say it again...Jeanette is one of the good guys...see her big white cowboy hat.

Domestic Goddess said...

Awesome! If it wasn't for that show, I would not have found your blog. I would not have learned what I learned from your experiences with your children. I am thankful for that! Thanks for doing what you do. Just know that there are people who are glad you are here!

Marla said...

How wonderful. I did not know you were on that show. That is just terrific!

Kimm said...

Greetings. I was referred to you by "autism diva". My name is Kim Malek from Trusera (www.trusera.com), a free invitation-only network of people who care about health and believe in the power of shared experience. It's an exciting new venture with a simple starting point: To provide a safe and comfortable environment where people looking for credible, relevant health information can connect to the knowledge and experience of others who've "been there."

The Autism Spectrum community's real need and demonstrated track record for sharing knowledge and support has made it one of Trusera's first areas of focus.

I've been reading your blog and wanted to reach out to you because you seem to share our belief in the power of sharing and creating access to actionable information. We believe creating the world's largest network and repository of Autism stories/information will be extremely beneficial to those looking for knowledge, support and guidance in taking the next step.

We are reaching out to a select group of people within the Autism Spectrum community—leaders and advocates—as part of an effort to build valuable, credible content on Trusera and connect existing networks of people in new, powerful ways online. If you're interested in participating, there are several options that I'd love to share with you.

Please let me know if I can send you an invitation to join our network and discuss other options to play a role in sparking this new resource for the Autism Spectrum community.

Sincerely –
-Kim Malek
kim@trusera.com
Trusera
2011 Olive Street
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 709-3047 office
(206) 909-0580 mobile
(206) 709-3062 (fax)
kim@trusera.com
www.trusera.com

Anonymous said...

You and your family rocks!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I think your blog is very interesting and informative in regards to autism and the autism spectrum. I find it sad that people feel the need to ridicule you or anyone else for your personal views but to include their nasty, sometimes profane comments on your postings only legitimizes them and makes you come down to their level. Don't worry about the nasty people or let them win by dragging you down. There are lots more supportive and understanding people out in the world than creeps.

Joeymom said...

Hug those kids tight. Great kids with a great mom.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful story -- what a great family!

LAA and Family said...

How cool that I get to see a video of you and your lovely home while I get acquainted with your blog! I never saw the original show about your house, but I think others mentioned it to me. You are so fortunate, what a terrific house for all of you! Just in the short clip I watched I got all kinds of ideas for our house. We have lived here five years and it is still abundant in opportunities for improvement! My husband and I often joke how we could be on a home improvement show!

I'm really enjoying your blog!