Autism Awareness Month and the Holidays

Autism Awareness Month...The Holidays can be difficult when you have a disabled child or adult disabled child. Often the household is run by a single mother and less frequently a single father. When the child has severe disabilities, you are often not invited out or invitations are turned down. There are those out there with wonderful families and friends who have compassion in this ever changing world. But, you hear of this less often, and many of these small families make the best of their situation. Efforts to divert depression sometimes fail. Other small families learn to make the best of it when they realize that these children often give you comfort and unconditional love. Life can be so cold and empty, but, having a challenged child to care for can give you spiritual rewards that no human can understand. As time goes on, you become selfless and can relate better to the world around you putting you on a higher level than most. We, as parents of children with disabilities, learn to accept our fate and appreciate simple things that life has to offer. We all can then enjoy the Holidays on a smaller scale and appreciate the warmth and love our disabled children have for us because it does not take much to make them happy. This is what life should be about: love, appreciation, and happiness.