I have really neglected my blogging this past month....lots of stuff going on around here.
I have given up on the daily "Age of Anger" blog that I would read every morning to rile
me up....same old, same old...
I think pretty soon, their redundancy will play out and people will move on...
I mean, you can only sell so many books...right???
This past month, Deirdre turned 16 years old and took a trip with her choir class. She acclimates well to travel and all the anxieties that come with the travel; ie, restaurants they stop at, bedding issues, too many girls in the bathroom, etc.
Caitlin brought home her cap and gown today...yes, I welled up...I am so proud of her!!
I took a tour of the GO PROJECT !! that Caitlin will be attending until she is 22 years old.
My Mom went with me and it was amazing. The young adults were happy and enjoyed what they were doing. They were surrounded by people who love them and I am so happy Caitlin has been accepted into their program.
Yes, I realized after touring the program that my daughter is severely disabled...but, I could not be more proud of her.
You see...I do not look at my children's life as ending when they received the Autism diagnosis...
I look at this as a different avenue that we have to take.
Their autism really doesn't have anything to do with me...other than the fact that it has made me a better person...and most important...a better mother.!!
At the tender age of 49, I was hired by a company that I worked for in my early 20's. I was blessed that they decided to hire me again.
In the last 7 months, I have gotten 3 promotions.
I love my job. I love working full-time.
I am blessed to be able to make my own schedule.
I am blessed that my children have adapted to my routine and they have made me so very proud.
I am blessed that I have a husband who said, "Good for you, try it, and if it doesn't work out, quit".....
I am most glad that several years ago, I discovered many people who had the same thoughts I did about Autism....
I scoured blogs and websites hoping to find people who did not despair and cry about Autism, but instead...chose a different viewpoint. I have found some really cool people who have some of the same ideas and beliefs I do.
We do not always agree, but, we seem to keep it civil.
I could then release the anger that I was holding onto..
which, in turn, made my children so much happier !!
I have been the mother of children with autism for over 19 years. I have learned so much from my oldest child down to my youngest.
The rules of Autism have changed in the last 19 years also.
Due mostly to the fact that too many people have their hands in the pot...and some of them should not be in there at all.
My heart aches for the children whose parent's feel they must neglect their other children, or blame the Autistic child for them not spending enough time with their other children.
I do not grieve the loss of my children....they are standing right in front of me and I choose to bask in their glory....
I do not feel cheated or defeated...but,
I feel honored and blessed to be able to be in their presence and that God has chosen me to carry that honor of being their Mother !!!!
About Me
- Mom26children
- 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, May 17, 2010
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9 comments:
I feel honored for the children God gave me as well, and honored he put someone REAL like you in my life! I know you are just being you but God made that "you" very special! Thanks for caring enough to take the time to encourage other families.
Rhonda,
I might not have ever told you this, but when I met you...you became my sister.
You also inspire me.
Your light is so bright around you that I basked in your glory.
Thanks for being my friend...
Lovely, Jeanette. :-) Been missing you!
Happy to see you and your positive attitude again!
As an adult on the spectrum, I just wanted to say thank you for this inspiring and wonderfully positive post.
It discourages me to see so many people viewing autism as a condition that robs them of their children when in fact, autism is just a part of us and robs us of nothing.
"I am most glad that several years ago, I discovered many people who had the same thoughts I did about Autism...."
Amen, sister. That is what helped us move forward 16 years ago when our family started this same journey.
Here's something I wrote about a book published by another fellow-traveler of ours: http://www.autistics.org/library/elijahscup.html
Keep on keeping on, Jeanette :-).
I just read your article for AOL and was so impressed with your perspective. I am a pediatric dentist and work extensively with children on the autism spectrum, and with their parents who run on a different spectrum (...a sort of desperation spectrum).
I admire you greatly for your upbeat and proactive attitude. That your kids are not taught to be victims of this disease is refreshing and admirable. That YOU have not given in to the hyper news media, flashing the most recent novelty cure to boost their ratings, is also commendable.
In my practice, I see the most success with my patients in homes like yours: Hard work. No easy answers. Lots of support.
Kudos.
I appreciate your blog and your perspective, but you have never answered the big question-
HOW???
If not ABA (which I would think is the least invasive more training to get different behaviors than the ones they currently have) what on earth do you do with sibling violence, purposely breaking things, not sitting in class, stabbing some kid with a pencil at school, running away from me in stores or just deciding to stem on the teacups at Disneyland while the rest of the family continued to walk?
Yes I get it- hard work. What did you do to get your kids to behave so well in public and at school?
I agree with you about the Age of Anger!
I am glad you and your family are doing well! :-)
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