Welcome To My New Reality (Or, Still Open For Business During Construction)

I know, I know...us autism mommies are supposed to have super powers, able to handle it all with a smile. I have to admit, my patience has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 3 years, even though sometimes it may not show (probably especially to my older kids), but I can feel it. There are days when I can read other autism blogs and feel proud to be in the company of such awesome people. Others who are proud because their child is potty trained, finally at age 10. Some are sharing the fact that their child slept through the night, or tried a new food, or didn't spit on anyone that day...and, trust me, they have a right to shout it from the rooftops! Those are big deals! All of them! And I blog about those things too. It's what keeps us from going insane and lets us remember the huge progress that our children have made from the time of diagnosis. But then there are the days when, yep, reality sets in. It's not invited, it just kind of creeps in and plops down on the couch by you. And then the train of thoughts starts running through your mind. The realization that you have a child that will be dependent on you, forever. Forever is a long time. Days are changed, routines are changed, friends are changed, vacations are changed, "downtime" is changed, reality, as we knew it, is changed. And it is not necessarily always a bad thing, but change can be scary. And when you have a stubborn personality like I do, well, change can be a hard thing to swallow. But I work on my flexibility every day, my spontaneity, and my "super powers." All because I love my son and he loves me. How do I know he loves me? Well, today I had allowed my eyes to close while he was playing near me on his iPad, and soon I felt a warm kiss on my forehead. Yep, it's all worth it. Even if my idea of reality is changing.