My Child on the Spectrum is 'Ausome'

Life is hard.

Parenting is hard.

Parenting a child on the autism spectrum is hard.

You know what isn’t hard though? Loving my son.

People say things like, “I don’t know how you do it”, with the best of intentions. The fact of the matter is one smile, one hug, one second of eye contact makes it all worthwhile.

Today, everything is ausome.

Any parent will tell you how there are bad days and good.

Every child will push their parents’ buttons.

As parent of a child on the autism spectrum, you learn very quickly not to moan too much.

Additionally, you learn to celebrate everything.

Yesterday, my 7-year-old son walked along the balance beam in the park. Today, I wrote about it in his school book so he can celebrate with his peers and teachers.

Last week, my son said “Sheep” when he saw a sheep. Five people stopped to clap for him, and he was thrilled.

Some days, everything is ausome.

Yes, there are times when I want to cry with exhaustion.

Meltdowns are hard, and I have to keep everyone safe, including myself.

Not being able to do what most families do is tough.

Despite the challenges, I couldn’t be without him.

I can’t imagine not waiting for his taxi to bring him home from school.

The idea of a day without one of his bear hugs scares me.

I’m aware there are going to be tough days ahead.

I know there will be hard decisions to make in the future.

But for now, everything is ausome.

We will go to the park and watch the trees sway in the breeze. Visit the beach and watch the waves.

Of course, we’ll stick to short camping holidays. So my son can be close to nature, and not have to travel far.

I’ll lie with him in bed when sleep evades him — again.

We’ll hug, and I’ll sing when sensory overload occurs.

My son has his own voice, but I’ll be his voice when he needs someone to speak up for him. I’ll shout from the rooftops if he needs me to.

I hope everything is ausome forever.