Officially, it is no longer Autism Awareness Day here in Cyprus as it is already April 3 and no longer April 2nd. Yes, it is nearly 1 in the morning and I'm exhausted. I have been typing on this page for over an hour now because after every few words I have to get up and run across the room and grab my little dude from his most current situation that he can not handle. In the last 10 minutes he has been out of milk, filled the dog and cat's water bowl with toys (4th time today, again), threw the cat's food bowl across the room, written on a white wall with an ink pen he found, pushed his bed across the room, and stripped down shirtless and shortless to his diaper only. I'm at that point in my day where I've all but given up and I've put the kitchen chair next to the kitchen sink so he can play in the water (and soak the floor) while I get a little bit of work done before I pass out. Nothing that I can't mop up and dry with a couple fans.
Autism has many realities that aren't often looked at. Like the huge increase in divorce rate for families with children with autism. Huge increase!
Financial strain like you can't believe. Therapies, foods, medical bills.
Parents that have no social life. The guilt that you feel as a parent when you DO get a night out.
Taking my child to the grocery store? You can't imagine.
Sleep? Man, ohh man, sleep. When he does take a nap do I get in some work or do I sleep too? If he sleeps only 6 hours per night, how much do I get?
But Autism Awareness? What is this day and month supposed to achieve? Aren't people aware? I mean, we have all heard the statistic of 1 in 50 children and we have all seen that story on the news of that kid that played basketball or lifted weights or went to a big name university and then there is that new Dr show on TV that I love. But is that what this day and month is really about?
Here is what I want you to understand this month, April 2019. I, like so many other parents across The World, am doing the best that I can. I was woken up by a child way too early and I'll go to sleep after I get that child to sleep tonight. He has ran, kicked, screamed, threw things, hit me, kissed me, beat his head on the glass window till he shattered it (yes, he did) and beat his head on the concrete wall as well (yes, he did, again today). I've comforted, I've coddled, I've yelled and screamed, I've spanked, I've rewarded, I've praised. I've done all that I can. He, my son, has done all that he can too. Understand that no matter how hard this is for me or how strange it may be to you, we are still not HIM! He lives inside all of this confusion.
When you see me out at the super market, or the mall, or sitting in traffic, or walking down the street and my son is doing something that you can't imagine your child doing...just cut me a small break. Offer me a hand for 30 seconds so I can take a deep breath, load my groceries into my shopping cart, or find his shoe and shirt that he took off and threw out of the car window...again. I'm not running through the street for my health here, don't yell and honk your horn and call me bad names. The sweat running down my forehead and dripping down my nose isn't just a visual effect, I'm trying hard and I could use just a little bit of your help. My house looks like a disaster area because every shelf, table, and cabinet will be emptied by my son. Whenever you get the urge to criticize me, please offer to step in and help, just for a few moments, instead. I will really appreciate it, all of it, every moment of it.
So for Autism Awareness Month my request is that any time you see a parent struggling with a child or just simply struggling in life...cut them a break. At least for the next few days.
And if you have any tips on how I can sneak in a nap without being jumped on by a nearly naked 3 year old...I'm all ears.
