To the moms who raise a loved one on the spectrum,
This weekend is Mother’s Day, and I wanted you to know how important you are to your child. You may not know it, but simply by being there for them you are making a huge difference. I know this because when I was growing up with autism my mom helped me through some of the hardest moments in my life…
When I was completely nonverbal (up until I was 2.5), my mom was there.
When I was diagnosed with autism when I was 4, my mom was there.
When educators in my schools couldn’t understand why I was lashing out, my mom was there.
When I started school my mom was there.
When I had to move to three different public schools in four years, my mom was there.
When I came home crying from school for not only being bullied but having difficulty with that transition, my mom was there.
When we fought our school district for two and a half years to get me an out of district placement for students with learning disabilities, my mom was there.
When I needed someone to drive me to school, my mom was there.
When I found my strengths, my mom was there.
When we finally found the therapies that worked best for me, my mom was there.
When I made my first friend and ran home to tell everyone, my mom was there.
When I graduated from grade school, my mom was there.
When I was struggling with taking the SATs, my mom was there.
When I graduated from high school, my mom was there.
When I was nervously waiting for an acceptance letter to come to our house to see if I got into college, my mom was there.
When I graduated with my undergraduate and master’s degrees, my mom was there.
When I received my first full-time job offer, my mom was there.
When I had any self-doubt in my ability to achieve great things, my mom was there.
When I succeeded and overcame the obstacles that challenged me when I was younger, my mom was there.
To the moms out there who love someone with autism, I hope you realize the impact you have, like my mom had on me, simply by being there.
Wishing all the amazing moms out there in our community a Happy Mother’s Day!
Kerry Magro is an international motivational speaker who’s on the autism spectrum. A version of this blog originally appeared here.
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