Autism does not discriminate

I think about my life and how I imagined it to be. I was going to be married and have children. And we would have a perfect household without chaos. My kids would be in sports and I would be that mom who was at every single practice and game.

That was going to be my life.

Well I got the marriage and the family.

But our home is full of chaos. There is very rarely a quiet moment and it's usually when everyone is asleep.

Neither of my children play sports. (To be fair my daughter is only one.)

And our family is far from perfect.

But how could that be? I did everything right.

I had a career. I got married. We planned for our first child when we felt ready. I did everything by the book with my pregnancy. I have never done drugs and I rarely drink.

Why did my child end up with autism?

The answer to that question: Autism does not discriminate.

Autism doesn't care if you are married or a single parent.

Autism doesn't care if you live in a huge house or if you are homeless.

Autism doesn't discriminate based on your race or gender.

Autism doesn't care where you are from.

Autism doesn't care if you are rich or poor.

It affects so many people without rhyme or reason.

I have to say that is one of the hardest parts. I know I did everything I could to try to have the healthiest child possible and here we are.

God had different plans for us and I truly believe that. Do I understand why those plans were made for us? Absolutely not. But Nathan is who he is. He's a bright and happy little boy who struggles with extra things.

As much as I tried to have the healthiest baby possible, I will try even harder to make his life as perfect as I can.

I will continue to step into his world and see it through his eyes.

Comments

You can never be too young to advocate for autism

I usually post a picture of our family wearing shirts to promote world autism day. This year we didn't get the chance to do that. But we promote and advocate autism all year long. This picture represents how our whole family knows autism, we live with autism and we work hard to make sure that Nathan knows he's more than just autism. See when we were about to have Nathan's little sister, Chayse, I was a nervous wreck. I was so worried that Nathan wouldn't adapt to her. That he wouldn't pay attention to her. Boy was I wrong. From day one he loved her. He wanted her near him all of the time. He made sure we never left home without her. He was her big brother. Now that Chayse is 3 years old she has surpassed Nathan in a few things. She can talk in full sentences. She can use the potty. She makes friends. But the one thing she does best is helping her big brother. She gets concerned when he's having a hard time. She goes to him and wants to help fix his "boo b...

A Letter to my son's Teacher

To my son's teacher From the time I found out that Nathan had autism I started thinking about school and I always got anxiety. Once he entered his second year of pre school my anxiety started going through the roof. I was so worried about him going to Kindergarten. I would cry most nights thinking about it. He was safe in pre school. He had routine. He loved his teacher. I would wonder who his new teacher was going to be. I would pray every single night that God would protect him always and give him the best people in his life to help him continue to grow. To protect him like I would. To keep him safe. The answer to my prayers came when I got the call from you. The moment I spoke to you, I knew God had answered my prayers. Stacey, Nathan has been blessed more than you could ever know. You listened to every single concern without judgement. You listened to every single need of Nathan's. You always go above and beyond to make sure we know Nathan is good. The way you call...

The decision to give our 4 year old meds

When we got Nathan's diagnosis in July of 2018, it was a lot to process. We knew he had something going on with him and had our suspicions for a long time, but it still cut deep to hear the official diagnosis. Dom and I said we will do everything we can to help, but with a cliche thought and lack of understanding, we were both adamant about not "drugging our child." Fast forward to 2020 we had to do something. When you watch your poor 4 year old deal with so much anxiety about day-to-day living, it breaks your heart. Nathan's anxiety comes in the forms of not sleeping - waking up at 2:00 am and not going back to sleep. His anxiety is shown through melt downs that cannot be consoled. His anxiety comes in the form of having something in his head, that he can't communicate, and being stuck on it for hours and sometimes days. Anxiety for Nathan is moving every picture that is not attached to a wall to different rooms in the house, literally all day long....

Through Nathan's Eyes

Search This Blog