Nothing can prepare you for the news that your child has autism.
Nothing.
Every single person, every single child is different. And so every family with a member that has autism will be different.
Autism will change you. It will be the most difficult yet rewarding journey.
This is my experience.
This is the way my life changed because of my son’s Autism diagnosis
1. My eyes have opened up to the world and people around me
Sometimes I feel like I was raised in a bubble and didn’t know much about other people. Having a child with autism opened my eyes to other special needs and how important it is to advocate for them. I see that sometimes disabilities are invisible and we can never judge a mom with her kids, we don’t know what she has been through and what she is going through.
2. I celebrate the “smallest” of my Childs accomplishments
My son has to work so hard for everything. We started our journey with speech and language delay and speech therapy. Every word he added to his vocabulary was celebrated.
Now every new sentence, phrase or problem he solves we celebrate as well.
3. I learned to push my children and myself to our fullest potential
I refuse to think there is something that my oldest C, and my other kids can’t do. You can read our diagnosis story here.
I refuse to believe that there is something I can’t do as a mom. I now know I am so much stronger than I ever thought I could be.
I always push C to do the best he can, even if he is uncomfortable. He grows and learns what he is capable of. He surprises himself sometimes!
4. I have found a strength in me to help other families in the same situation
I never thought I’d have a parenting blog. Or that moms would be coming to me for advice. But here I am!
And I love to share my journey and my experience to help other families.
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5. I became closer to God and turn to him for everything involving the care for my son
Before I was even pregnant with C I prayed for him. And since his birth, it has been almost 11 years that I have prayed over him every. single. day.
I pray for his development and his future. I pray for me to be the best mom I can be for him. You can read about my faith and autism in this post.
6. My family is healthier
My son does not like to eat and doesn’t have much of an appetite. I always try to find healthy ways for him to get the nutrients he needs. And this helps the entire family eat better.
C is super active and is always on the move. So we as a family need to be active as well! We live on almost 3.5 acres and there is plenty of greenery and trees and room to run around. Being around nature is so good for kids! I wrote a whole blog post on that topic.
We have for the most part eliminated artificial colors and flavors. It has made a world of difference. You can read about it here.
7. I have more empathy for other moms
I love other moms! I try to never judge or think negative things about another mom because I don’t know what her life is like. I DO know that being a mom is hard. Being a mom of an autistic child is hard.
8. I stopped caring what other people think
I think every girl growing up in this culture has at one point or another thought about what other people think. It was important for me to make a good impression and to have people like me.
Not anymore!
I just simply do not have the time! I don’t have time to care about what other people think. I care what my children think and what my husband thinks. They are important to me and I want to be the best version of myself for them.
9. I learned that I cannot do this parenting thing on my own.
I need my God, my husband, and my family. It truly takes a village.
10. I learned that Moms are superheroes in disguise.
Moms are the bravest, courageous, strong, vulnerable, wonderful, caring, selfless people on earth.
Nothing can prepare you for your child’s autism diagnosis. It will change you, it will mold you. It will make you a better person. You will find out how amazing and strong you truly are. My life changed because of my son’s autism diagnosis, but I wouldn’t change that for the world.
You got this mama.
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