If you only knew how difficult the road was to get here.
If you only knew the many tears that have been shed, the countless hours of therapy, the tests he has undergone, the fear that he has experienced, the ridicule he has endured, the times he has been laughed at, the frustration he has learned to live with. If you only knew.
If you only knew the hours a mother and a father have spent trying to piece together the past and plan for the future.
If you only knew the amount of money, the friendships that have been lost, and the toll it has taken to get here.

Kids tantrum, fuss, squeal, yell, and scream. As a parent, you quickly learn what your tolerance level is.....then you rocket past it by 1,000%. You are able to handle much more than you would expect. Toss some Autism adventures into the mix and you have a real party at times. You talk to yourself, you don't sleep, your child doesn't sleep, you might be married but have no idea when the last time you had a real conversation with your spouse was, and then you have a job. Wait. Yes, that's right, you talk to yourself first.

I celebrated 13 years of marriage to my beautiful wife and best friend yesterday. The evening was low-key and peaceful. Well, there was the tornado watch, tornado warning, heavy rains, sirens, vengeance, sheer winds, red/blue/green/purple/chartreuse colors spiraling across the television screen while the weatherman said to take cover. Nothing we haven't experienced before. We live in the eventful and sometimes mysterious world of autism.

On the way home from therapy.....
Mason recently started a social skills class to assist him in what has proved to be his most challenging area. The class is small, 4 kids I believe. All are on the spectrum and all struggling to learn social skills and how to interact with others.
I picked Mason up from class last night at 6p. It was the first time he had seen me all day since I had to leave for the office before he was up. As usual he tackled me with an enthusiastic “HI DADDY”!
That’s always the highlight of my day.

I don't think I have ever seen my husband as excited as when he saw his Father's Day gift from the boys.