I am the proud mom of an awesome 23 year old young man. He is non-verbal, handsome, incontinent, funny, loving, affectionate and silly. He loves music, watches, helicopters, planes, trains and ME!
I work full time and have 2 different companies that provide services and day support for Buddy. He goes to a day program as well as getting out into the community. Without this support team, Buddy would not be doing as well as he is.
Buddy’s dad and I divorced a while ago and I have remarried a wonderful man that treats Buddy as his own. Hubby, helps me with Buddy, with everything except baths…it makes him uncomfortable to bathe another man, and I am totally fine with that. How many other step dads will get up at 3am on a work night to shampoo vomit or other bodily fluid out of a carpet?
So what prompted this attempt at blogging? It is March 31st, and tomorrow starts Autism Awareness Month. For the last few years I have tried to do something during the month of April to help bring awareness. This year, I decided to try blogging.
I see a lot of informative blogs and articles on autism, but they usually are a bit out of my grasp. I think it’s great that parents are sharing the wonderful strides that their children are making…going from non-verbal to verbal…going from Depends to independent toileting, winning medals at the Special Olympics and more…but that is not where we are.
Buddy vocalizes, but no words. He plays with the light in the bathroom, but the closest that he gets to using it, is laying on the floor in the hallway and pulling the bathroom door closed.
But he can grab a box of cereal, bowl and the milk when he wants to eat Capt Crunch! Or hand me the (correct) remote when he wants me to change the channel on the TV. Poke my chin when he wants me to sing to him. Poke my shoulder in the car to change the song on the radio…not to be confused with pulling my sleeve, which means “Turn up the radio, please”. Or my favorite…kiss my cheek for “Please, Momma”.
Hopefully, as I get the hang of this, I will make you smile or even laugh. But most of all, I hope you realize that we don’t have to be Super Parents, to be super, parents.
So this is my blog, welcome to my world!
~ASM