One of the most important parts of learning to live with autism is having a strong support system. And my family is extremely blessed to have a very large & very strong support system.
Although our little family is just the three of us, we are very fortunate to have a very large extended family. Living in our city alone, we have my mom, Corey's parents, all of our siblings & their families, a step-grandmother & her husband, and 3 out of 4 sets of Corey's aunts & uncles & their families....needless to say the birthday parties are quiet large! Most of my side of the family lives at least 2 hours away including my dad & step-mom, 2 cousins that are more like sisters, several aunt & uncles & their families, and both of our grandparents. Thank goodness for the internet!
ALL of our family is very encouraging & supportive. ALL of our family wants to have a relationship with Ethan and are continually wanting to learn more about how to make that possible. No one in our family has ever made Corey & I feel like we are bad parents due to Ethan's behavior or developmental delays. ALL of our family asks us questions about Ethan & are constantly encouraging us as Ethan's parents. ALL of our family genuinely loves Ethan, and wants to know how they can help us or him. Our siblings & their families always include Ethan in family activities. From Uncle Chris teaching him how to hit a baseball to Aunt Rachel always playing board games with him, this kid is surrounded by love. Not only from our siblings & their families, but our parents have been beyond amazing. For example, when I told our parents that we were able to attend a Dr. Temple Grandin conference, my mom immediately wanted to go too.....and Corey's parents offered to watch Ethan....which included Grandpa changing diapers.....which just doesn't happen. This is the kind of support our parents & family are giving us......they too are being stretched out of their comfort zone in order to better understand autism so they can better understand Ethan & have a relationship with him. Even his 8 cousins who are 10 years old or younger will play a game with Ethan over & over again. Through this repeated play, they are connecting with Ethan.....and whether they realize it or not......they are gently pulling Ethan out of his world & into ours. We are truly blessed to have such an amazing family that encourages & supports our little family.
We are also extremely thankful to have amazing friends that support us as well. I have read about families that have been excluded from activities because their child has autism & their behavior is unwelcome. Thankfully, we have not yet experienced this heartbreak. Our friends are very aware of Ethan & his quirks, but always include us in festivities & events. ALL of our friends are very encouraging....through emails, cards, hugs, and....the most important to me....loving & accepting Ethan as he is. And my girl friends are so amazing at letting me share.....sometimes obsessively so....all about Ethan & what we are dealing with.....good and bad. This support is great, not only as a mother of a child with autism, but as a mother of one child. All of this is new to me....the parenting part as well as the autism part. Some times I discover that Ethan's behavior is very typical and other times they provide excellent suggestions & tips. We are so blessed to have A-M-A-Z-I-N-G friends.
I will never forget the day that Ethan was officially diagnosed with autism. All day long I had been texting family & friends who were praying & waiting alongside with us. On the way home from the clinic, I texted everyone the results. And overwhelmingly our family & friends said this......"It doesn't matter that Ethan has this diagnosis. He is still Ethan, and we love him....now & always." Now how lucky are we to have so many people like this in our lives!? I really think we are the most fortunate people in the world to know love like this.....and how awesome for Ethan to know this love....not only from his parents but from his family & friends. And without these wonderful people in our lives, Ethan wouldn't have made the progress that he has made. Thank you to all of you. We are soooooo blessed to call you our family & friends.
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