Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Same Child, Different Day: A Little Something for You

The last official chapter in this autism support booklet is "A Little Something For You". The entire point of this final labeled section is: 'Never loose contact with yourself.'

Your time as the parent of a child with special needs --- in this case, autism --- will mostly be devoid of "me time". So when you get free moments, take full advantage of them. It sounds so simple, yet it gets forgotten so easily. You can not take care of your child if you can't take care of you first.

You will feel guilty about it too; that's inevitable. But this chapter briefly lets you know that forgiveness of yourself above all others is paramount.

It's also useless to blame yourself for this sudden life-altering circumstance as well. Instead, celebrate the successes as they come. And remember, we're all here for you --- you are not alone and always have someone you can turn to. Always.

~ Jon

2 comments:

Julie L. said...

Me time: I'm pretty good at it now that my son with ASD is almost 11! lol. Guilt: It took me awhile to squash it--was more about not pursuing more aggressive therapies etc than anything. Successes: Was overjoyed when my guy finally learned to ride a bike about a month ago. On not being alone: I love the web because it's so easy to find parents who understand. : )

How I found your site: You commented on my blog! (lol)I clicked on your icon and followed the trail...

Jon G said...

I see your notes about autism awareness month: we had a whole celebration thoughout the month here. Another parent and I put on about a dozen events and activities to bring awareness. It was awesome, but I'm happy to have the break now. Keep in touch --- I'd be interested to know whatelse you do in your community. Talk to you soon, Jon