Thursday, 8 December 2016

Learning From My Little Superheroes


Over the past year I have learnt a lot about myself and my family of superheroes. I have learnt quite a lot just from watching and interacting with my little superheroes. Our journey thus far has been very enlightening.
I have learnt that I can grow, and have grown, a thicker skin than I ever thought I could or should have to. You don't want to mess with this Mamma!



I have learnt that our autism life means that we are brought to our knees in despair on a much too regular basis. But I have also learnt that our autism life means that we will brush ourselves off, get up and try again tomorrow because we have no other choice. I learnt very early on that I have to fight for and be an advocate for my little superheroes to access funding, therapy, aide time and anything else that they may need to learn the skills to become functioning members of society. I have to fight for my children. If I don't fight for them, who will?

I have learnt that our autism life means that I can survive on less sleep than I ever thought I could. I didn’t think humans could survive on so little sleep, but apparently we can! Who knew! 

I have learnt that our autism life means that we celebrate and cherish every little moment, every little victory, every little step forward. And we shout it proudly from the rooftops for everyone to hear! You can stare at me all you like, your stares won't stop me celebrating.

I have learnt that our autism life means that I have to constantly break the stereotypes that people have of autism. And there are so many stereotypes to break, it's ridiculous.

I have learnt that to say "my little superheroes are not fussy eaters, they have sensory sensitivities when it comes to food." There is a difference, if you want to make my little superheroes sick, make them eat something that they don't like the texture of! You'll soon understand why I have said that they won't eat a particular food. Even when we go out to a restaurant or to a friend’s place for dinner/lunch/a BBQ, I will always have to pack a lunchbox for my little superheroes. If they eat anything while we’re out, that is a huge bonus! But we will always need a back up.

I have learnt just how literal my little superheroes are and that at times, I really need to think about what I want them to do and reword what I say!

Our autism life means that we will rarely have a lazy do nothing sort of day. Every moment is planned, every holiday is planned, one of us is always on look-out duty, no matter where we go or what we do.

Our autism life means that we watch the same DVD’s over and over and over again. Even after years of watching the same movies, my little superheroes don’t tire of watching them. They still laugh in the same places, and still become surprised/worried/sometimes scared! I’m sure some nights that I dream about different movies. And I do know all the lyrics to their favourite movie tunes!

Our autism life means that I am constantly learning about Autism Spectrum Disorder. I am constantly learning new skills to help both my little superheroes navigate this crazy world. I don't think that the learning for all of us will ever stop, it may slow down but never stop.

Our autism life has taught me that I have thousands of friends that live in a computer and are on my side. They share our highs and lows and we have often have virtual coffee catch ups, because we understand what each other is going through. They have my back and I have theirs.



Our autism life is never, ever boring, there’s never a dull moment at Superhero headquarters! In fact it is quite often funny, actually downright hilarious at times. It is often frustrating and repetitive. It's sometimes challenging and sometimes messy. But never boring. It is actually pretty amazing!

2 comments:

I would love to hear your thoughts on my blog. I do read all the comments that are posted. Thanks so much for stopping by. Jen xx