How Can I Complain?

Seriously, how can I complain? Yes, I have 2 boys on the autistic spectrum. And, yes, there is a chance that the baby I am carrying will have it too (Surprise! I’m pregnant!).  But, my children can talk. They can even argue with me.  Some children on the spectrum can never do this. Some children are almost completely unable to communicate in any form. 

I remember that short time when both my boys were that way. It was heartbreaking.  It was bleak.  It was a desperate time.  Fortunately for us, ABA and speech therapy gave my sons the tools they needed to communicate.  Now, they are not “cured” by any means—I think I have well established on this blog that I don’t believe that is possible, nor do I want that for them.  They still have their quirky ways or “ticks” as a friend refers to them.  I still have to make accommodations for them and think ahead for ways to meet their needs.

We have a trip planned to Seattle in early July to help take part in a genetics study on autism.  It is our first airplane trip as a family.  The thing that weighs on me the most is how my youngest son will do on the plane.  Noisy normal toddlers are thrown off planes.  My preschooler takes noisy to a whole new level and simple doesn’t know how to sit still for two hours.  I just continue to pray about it and find things to pack in our carry-on bags to entertain him.

But, the thing is that I can entertain him. I can find techniques that work (albeit for a short time).  Some parents are not that lucky.  Some parents feel so desperate that they turn to alternative medicine voodoo to “cure” their children.  They put them on restrictive diets and cling to any sign of improvement.

Some parents give up on their children.  Some parents resort to violence in an insane attempt to “beat the autism out.”  Some parents go numb.  Some parents go into denial.  Some parents fight each other.  Some parents blame themselves.

So, I ask again, how can I complain?  I got two beautiful boys and a third child on the way.  I have a supportive husband that works with me to raise our children.  My children have responded well to the scientific approaches to autism. 

I am truly blessed by the load that God has allowed me to carry.