“Her openness in this moment was a ‘Hey, Family.’ It’s about recognizing your fellow human who knows how it feels to avoid glares of judgement. I had forgotten what it had felt like to be recognized like this by a stranger.”
‘Hey, FAMILY. We’re your people. You’re safe here.’: LGBTQ mom shares moment of ‘community’ on playground, ‘It gave me comfort I wasn’t alone’
‘In my day, they didn’t have all this autism and ADHD stuff.’ I wasn’t sure how they’d react to the news. It wasn’t something they grew up with.’: Mom to daughter with autism worries about ‘generational gap’ with grandparents, ‘You’re never too old to be educated’
“I braced myself for what I thought would be a skeptical, potentially offensive reaction from them. They were shocked and concerned, as I expected.”
‘All babies are different,’ he assured us. I was a new mom. I didn’t have any basis for comparison. With just a few words, my heart shattered.’: Mom shares son’s autism diagnosis, ‘I follow his lead’
“It hit us like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, everything I envisioned for my child’s life went out the window. Going through life being different from everyone else seemed impossible.”
‘I know you like to worry, but she’s just fine.’ I was labeled a ‘helicopter mom.’ I felt defeated.’: Mom fights for daughter’s autism diagnosis, ‘I never ignored my gut again’
“She started banging her head on the floor and biting her nails until they bled. They didn’t even try to evaluate her. I tried explaining, ‘Autism presents differently in girls.’ He just suggested parenting classes.”
‘His teacher handed me a whiteboard covered in symbols. ‘He’s writing in Japanese.’ We were mind-blown.’: Mom describes son’s autism journey, ‘He’s different, not less’
“Our 2-year-old, who was unable to communicate his needs, began to read anything we wrote. Words, names, sentences. It was truly amazing!”
‘She’s a preemie! She’ll catch up.’ I felt this mama bear roar deep within me. Autism isn’t a dirty word.’: Mom celebrates daughter’s autism, ‘For us, life is more like a dance than a race’
“I line up rocks with my daughter at the park instead of watching her play with peers. She is a CHILD, not a milestone checklist.”
‘I asked my best friend why there were so many crying bloggers on the Internet. Was there nothing else to do while in pain then turn your camera to portrait mode? Now it makes sense to me.’: Woman shares opinion on emotional selfies
“Why someone would take a selfie during their most vulnerable moment and share it with the world. Was it attention-seeking? Now it makes sense to me.”
‘Parenting Autism’ is tears, sleepless nights, and trips to the ER. But it is also high-fiving in the kitchen, heart-melting, and witnessing magic in every day moments.’: Woman shares reality of being a mother to twins with autism
“Parenting Autism is buying screen protectors for televisions, knowing at any given moment, something could be projected at your TV, and saying, ‘No, we don’t throw things at the TV,’ means game over, with shattered cracks and black fuzzy projection in your future.”
‘I leaned in, I’d never heard these words before.’: Autism mom shares loving moment with non-verbal son, ‘You learn to celebrate everything’
“He sat calmly at the table like it was no big deal. I think I cried the entire morning. I have not heard those words since.”
‘I was scared. ‘What would mom do?’ She has 3 jobs and STILL makes sure he gets to class.’: Daughter writes touching story about ‘superhuman’ autism mom
“Today, my mom had to leave to work her third job. Then, out of nowhere, my son got really overwhelmed and started flapping and humming… but not in a good way. She sat by his side, no matter how tired she was.”
