Moms of children with autism

Being a mother is certainly a challenge. But being a mom to a child with autism makes that challenge exponentially difficult. Often, these moms have to sacrifice a career to stay home and be available for their child's needs - all the way through adulthood and beyond. Given that strain, the frequency of sleep deprivation, the extended toilet training years, tantrums, and many marriages do not survive.

So, hats off to these moms - to Henry's mom, now in her 80's, who spends their time together keeping his calendar very full, taking him to events every day after program and on the weekends; to John's mom, who won't accept a before the opera Mother's Day luncheon date, because John loves to go to the Farmer's market on Sunday mornings; to Christopher and Zachary's mom, who went through the trauma of having their house burn down and spent 4 months in a hotel room with her two boys; to Jennifer's mom, who drives her to and from school every day usually on little sleep, but still keeps her cheerful demeanor; to Kyle's mom, who has to be vigilant all the time as he is an escape artist and frequently attempts to race out of the house to the nearby park, crossing several streets in the process. We have a few moms of autistic children on our staff, whose resilience and energy is to be admired, because we know they are not going home at the end of the day to put their feet up.

These moms never seem to complain of the hardships or difficulties and truly cherish their children - as only a mom can. And you will never hear more hearty laughter than that of a group of these moms. At a recent parent meeting, the parents - (mostly moms, one grandfather) I commented that I thought they were having way too much fun as the laughter was continuous and raucous. They all laughed and one remarked, "its better than crying." And that seems to be their attitude, move on forward and enjoy the small pleasures of each day.

To all moms living with children with autism - we salute you and celebrate your determined and wonderful spirit. Happy Mother's Day!