“This time of the year, we’ll see smiling, shining faces on Instagram, holiday cards, maybe at parties, or in pictures sent between phones. But what you don’t see is it took us two tries (1.5 hours apart) to finally light candles together because of a tantrum.”
‘Isn’t this picture sweet? We lit our candles, opened presents and had fun together. But it wasn’t so simple.’: Mom of 3 says ‘holidays can be special, but they can also be A LOT’
‘I should know your name. I can’t believe I don’t. But I’ll never forget how kind you were to my daughter.’: Special needs mom shares hairdresser’s powerful act of kindness
“I remember people were staring at us prior to you calling my daughter, Lola, back. I remember my face feeling flushed, my mom trying to offer assistance, but she was as helpless as me.”
‘Why are you seeking a diagnosis?’ They didn’t believe me. I was an imposter living a neurotypical, picture-perfect life.’: Woman diagnoses herself with autism after decades of ‘masking’
“When I was out during the day, I was being who people needed me to be, then I would come home and put my dukes up. I felt like an imposter in the life I had built.”
‘Vague bickering. Brace yourself, it starts. ‘I’m telling mommy!’ They stampede like elephants, each screaming over the other.’: Mom talks sibling rivalry, ‘Remember they really do love each other’
“‘Guys, guys, guys…GUYS! Just stop for one moment!!!! Please for the love of all that is holyyyy…’ By this point, my Fight and Flight responses are in overdrive. I’m honestly instinctually ready to flee the home or drop kick one of them (neither of which I can rationally do).”
‘My son whined, ‘No buzzer, I don’t like buzzer.’ He was inconsolably shaking in fear. We tried again to calm him. It was too late.’: Mother to son with autism addresses mom shamers in emotional letter
“‘Finally’ you said under your breath as I said ‘excuse me’ so we could exit the bleachers. You didn’t know my 4-year-old son has autism. You didn’t know about all of the ear infections and hearing loss. You weren’t there the day we discovered his new sensitivity to loud noises. I’ll never forget the way you made my family feel. I will make sure no one ever feels like that.”
‘I was livid. ‘Are we just going to have a negative attitude tonight? Is that how it’s gonna go?’ He answered, ‘I just had a hard day today.’: Mom brightens son’s bad day with bubble bath, Netflix
“Kyler came home from school today with a bad attitude. He was frustrated and it was reflecting in the way he was talking to me. I was livid at first. ‘Are we just going to have a negative attitude tonight?’ Tears welled up in his eyes. ‘I had to do so many things and I didn’t have enough time. And I couldn’t do everything and my head hurts, and I’m cold…’ I knew it was just one of those days.”
‘The last thing I wanted to do was hug her.’: Overwhelmed mom ‘swallows her pride’ to embrace daughter during meltdown, ‘they don’t need you to shame them’
“She had just bit me. And screamed at me. She wanted to be in control. So did I. But here I am, on the bathroom floor, engulfed in her embrace. I’m not innocent in all this. I was ignoring her. She lost it on me. ‘Do you need a hug?’ I sure did.”
‘That’s stupid! EVERYONE in my class has that.’ She threw it in the trash and slammed the door.’: Mom teaches daughter ‘tough love lesson’ on being grateful
“WHAT. COME AGAIN? I went to 3 different stores to get that popular L.O.L. Surprise! pencil box. I thought I taught her to be grateful, but apparently sis needed a small wake up call. Before going completely Madea mad on my child, I checked myself. ‘Okay, that’s fine. Let me get the pencil box you’re going to use.’ I came back with a good ol’ Ziploc bag. She lost her mind.”
‘He would literally fling his arms out from his body over and over again from morning until night.’: Parents shocked to learn of son’s PANDAS diagnosis
“We had absolutely no idea what was going on. His behavior was changing. He’d been in daycare since he was 12 weeks old and LOVED his school. Now he’d cling to us at drop off and require 15 hugs before we could – with him still screaming and crying- finally leave him. We assumed he was ‘going through a phase.’ I felt like we were ‘losing’ him.”
‘My daughter lost her mind, tantrum, tears, because ‘Talking Booty Baby’ lost her head, literally. It was dangling. ‘Mommy please fix her!!!’ She was devastated. Tears streamed down her cheeks.’
“A few months ago, my boys colored with pen all over Talking Booty Baby’s face and I thought world was coming to an end. But that was NOTHING compared to what happened the other day. Oh no, no, no.”
