As we go back and celebrate the past year together, I will direct your friends to your first blog post. I hope we have many years together because you bring me joy. PEACE baby Laughter!
Autism ISN'T Funny!!! Wanna Make a Bet!!! April 13, 2012
To the lay person, Autism isn't funny. It is something that is unknown, overwhelming, and looked at as an end not a beginning. To those of us who love someone with Autism, on the surface it isn't funny either. We need to peel away the layers, the worlds view of Autism, the school districts view of Autism, our view of Autism, our perception of our child, how our family now looks at our child, the way we now look at our child, the everyday routines and therapies, the everyday small steps that make us smile, the simple joy of watching our child succeed in something new that make us giggle, the rip roaring hysterical things our kids do that they don't realize that make us cry and laugh at the same time because they are soooooo funny! This blog is intended to help families in the same position I am in find the joy of laughter again.
I love a child with Autism. He didn't make a conscious decision to have Autism. As a mum, I have cried, screamed, and bargained with the universe to allow him to have an easier life. I have gone through depression and spent 1,000,000+ hours of research to make sure he gets the best chance of living to his fullest potential. In the quiet of my home, I have argued with myself about if it is right to insist that he joins my world even though he is so comfortable in his. And yet, 5+ years after the original diagnosis, I feel comfortable knowing that he is who he is in spite of all of my efforts and because of all of my efforts.
My son is funny and he is starting to realize it. He attempts to say funny things and often stumbles over the humor part so that it isn't funny to anyone else. It is when he isn't trying that his true humor shines through. Last night his sister was teasing him at a local restaurant that he doesn't eat cow meat. He looked her straight in the eye and very seriously said..."Well, when I was a baby, I ate melted cow"... (melted cow ='s milk). See, funny, and he doesn't even have to try.
My best advise for the day is to find something that your child does everyday that tickles you and write it in a journal. This journal will be your "Go To Book" for the days that you are having a great deal of trouble finding joy in anything. Believe me... there will be plenty of those days! Your child is exceptional perceptive and sensitive to the environment they are in. If you are joyful, they are more likely to be joyful. If you are stressed out... well we all know what that looks like on our kids, and it isn't pretty!
Laughter, Could be the Missing Piece!!
