This past May, my son Wyatt turned 5. In his five years, he has taught my husband and I so very much. Wyatt is a boy who happens to have Autism, it does not define him, but it’s definitely part of what makes him so special. Being his mother is such an incredible gift, and it’s something I’m grateful for everyday.
Have you ever met someone so special you felt honored to be in their presence? This is who Wyatt is to me. In his short five years, he’s worked so hard, overcome so much, and has helped me to become a better person. I wanted to share five things he’s taught me, and believe me, there are so many more things – but I’ll save the rest for a later time.
One | Always Love
Love will always pull us through the hard times. Wyatt is the most affectionate, sweet, loving child. If you’re sad, he’s there to hug you. When his brother falls to the ground, he’s always the first one to help him up. He even hugs the principal at his school when he sees her, he is just that loving. And after the appointment when his doctor confirmed that our suspicious were right, that something wasn’t right, and I felt like melting to the floor, he was there. At 18 months old, he was there for ME. His love will always be my reason for fighting to get him everything he needs, and then some.
Two | Always be Prepared
Family outings, even simple trips to the grocery store have to be prepped for. There is no grabbing my purse and running out the door. Social situations are sometimes a little overwhelming for Wyatt, which is why we have to have “back-up” items. Fidget toys, his chewie, a charged iPad, milk, the works, because we never know what we’ll need. Every time before we leave the house, we have to think of everything we could possible need, should a situation arise.
Three | Always be Flexible
When things don’t work out, just breathe and try to come up with another solution. There have been many days that haven’t gone as planned, and it’s easy to get caught up in the storm and let it ruin your entire day. Don’t. Be flexible. If your little one has a sensory meltdown in the middle of the grocery store and you can literally FEEL the eyes on your back, brush it off. You are doing the best you can, you cannot prevent meltdowns, but you can calmly leave the store and change things up. Letting go of the idea of perfection has been something I’ve struggled with for a long time, and being flexible to change the direction (a skill Wyatt has taught me), has been wonderful.
Four | Always Celebrate the Small Things
The small things always end up leading us to the big things. And EVERY accomplishment deserves to be celebrated.
For example, Wyatt started outside-of-school speech therapy a few weeks ago. We walk into the first visit on the first day and have to wait 15 minutes. Wyatt does not do well with waiting, so he started to run around the lobby. I was chasing after him, trying to guide him in the right direction, and to be honest it’s kind of comical looking back. Then, when we finally got into the appointment, he has a full-blown meltdown because he wanted to keep running around.
So after our first visit being unsuccessful, Iย consulted with friends and his teacher at school, and we came up with a plan for the next visit. We’d use a First/Then card. The “first” thing was speech, and the “then” thing was his ipad, his teacher went over it with him at school, and when I picked him up from school to take him to speech, he already knew that after his speech appointment, he’d be able to have something he really enjoys. And guess what, that next visit went GREAT!
Five | Always Choose to Rise Above
A lot of moments in days will be hard. But guess what? YOU GOT THIS. Being the parent of a child with Autism is no picnic, but it’s worth every moment.
You might not realize it now, but you’re working hard to help your child bloom and thrive. When you’re child is crying, when you’re crying, when you’re having a tough day, when you think you’re the worst parent on the planet, know that you will get through this. And,ย CHOOSE to get through it, together.
What is ONE thing your child has taught you?
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I don’t have an autistic child, but I still got so much out of this. These are all things to remember with any child. They’re only little for awhile, and even if they don’t have something like autism, it’s important to stay in the moment and celebrate every one of them.
Sounds like not only do you teach him every day but he teaches you too! I think this is amazing that you take these things from him! <3 <3 <3
What an amazing post! It’s pretty crazy how much our kids can teach us and it never ends!
Such a lovely post! I think Autism child will also taught us to have a long patience.
This is a post written from the heart. My children have taught me everything I know. I learn from them everyday and I am constantly amazed at all they can teach me.
These are great lessons that everyone should learn. Great post!!
My daughter was born deaf. She didn’t get cochlear implants until she was 4 and she ended up being delayed in speech and vocabulary. She always struggled in school but she always tried her best. She just graduated in June of this year. I am so proud of her.
This is a great post. I think children can teach you a lot. We learn a lot from our kids daily.
My friends Daughter has Autism and is non verbal. She has taught us so much over the years. They are such special people.
I worked with an Autism boy while I was teaching. He was so real and would say what anyone else wouldn’t. He made my day such a blessing!
What a wonderful post! I think we should all sit back and watch our kids because I think we can learn a lot from them. My niece has got autism and I know one of the biggest things we have learned is to be flexible with her.
What a beautiful and touching post. It’s so true that you can learn a lot from children.
Thanks for sharing your personal experience. This is such a beautiful post. I always think kids with Autism are special.
It is always important to realize what our children need and when! Being prepared is a great tip.
I love this post! My children teaches me things almost every single day. They taught me that I can do things that I thought I could never do. They taught me to be more understanding and compassionate.
totally love this post. such good information. will share
Omg I love this!!! I have an autistic child and it’s definitely about all the small wins. Celebrating the small stuff definitely makes things a bit easier
Great article. I’ll have to share this with my friends who have kids with autism. Thanks for sharing. – Yolonda
This is great info. I do not have a child with autism, but my youngest has some sensory sensitivities that I always have to be prepared for. She is very sensitive to smells.
Appreciate the small things and also, don’t sweat the small things gone wrong. That’s the lesson we are always learning from our kids.
I do not have children, but I was a special ed teacher many moons ago, it was like having forty children! ๐