Dear Autistic Child,

I am writing this letter to you because there are so many things I am grateful of because of you. You have taught me the important things in life and transformed me into the person I thought I could have never become.

Dear Autistic Child, you gave me a perspective of life.

You have taught me that it is OK to be different because different does not mean any less. You led me out of my planned motherhood journey and took me into yours instead. I had a fear of uncertainties. The journey I took with you have its ups and downs, challenges and sometimes the weather was not favorable. But I would have missed out on connecting with you, understanding your world and views, and most of all, seeing you happy if I had dragged you into my planned journey instead. The unexpected trip turned out to be the best one.

Dear Autistic Child, you have taught me so much!

I thank you for teaching me to focus on happiness and not too much about what other people would think of us. You taught me that it does not matter if people judge because my motherhood journey is my journey with you and not anyone else.

You have taught me how to speak up. I learned that I need to be your advocate and that it is OK to ask for help.

At the age when children started communicating, you only spoke one word. But you taught me to be more aware of body language and t just because you did not speak much, it did not mean you had nothing to express. You showed me that joy and love can be shown in so many other ways. I loved seeing you dance to your favorite song and watching you smile when I turn the toy cars upside down and spin the wheels with you. But most of all I loved your hugs and kisses.

Dear Autistic Child, you made me a better mom.

You have taught me what patience really is. When you have your meltdowns, you have taught me to learn to control my own emotions and reflect on my reaction to the situation. It was not easy, and I have read before that patience is bitter but the fruit is sweet. And this is true because we still have our days of struggle but they are fewer than they were.

You have taught me that I do not have to follow a recipe to its detail to obtain a happy life. But that I can tweak it to our own tastes so that we can enjoy the journey. And this I learned to be more flexible.

Dear Child, thank you for the gift you are!

Thank you for being who you are, because I learn to view others as each unique individual being. Being different does not mean you cannot make a difference in this world. You made a difference in me and that is the proof. Thank you for rocking my world!

Love,

Mom

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About Lenny

Lenny Dewi has 3 beautiful children. She works part time as a nurse and full-time at home as a homeschooler. She loves cooking, gardening, running, swimming, and music. You can find Lenny on Facebook where she shares their homeschool adventures.