Even before I know of what #autism was and certainly before my kids were diagnosed, I had this one wish for them.
Maybe this will sound weird to some people out there and maybe I’m just a dork, but here it goes.
I grew up with a dog for most of my life.
I was fortunate enough to experience how that kind of companionship can make a child feel like. I know how it made me feel. I found comfort and unconditional love in our dog Dusty.
When I had children of my own, that was one of the things I wanted for them. Whether it was a dog or a cat, a fish or a bird, it didn’t matter to me. I wanted my kids to have the bond, that connection with another living thing.
It has taken awhile but I can finally say that Elliott has discovered that with his kitten, Dean (although we do have a name change but that’s a different post).
When Elliott is sad, he snuggles Dean.
At bedtime, Dean sleeps with him for most of the night. Dean actually seeks Elliott out and looks for his attention. It’s amazing.
I’m so grateful for that.
Has your life or the life of your child been impacted by a special animal??
My aspie loves animals, all animals. We received a gift from God through Craigs List. We decided it was time to get her a kitten so we began the search and for once there were very little kittens to be found. It took us 2 weeks to find her and then a post for a balinese kitten was found. The lady bought her for her daughter and she was allergic! Our Pixie is a medium coat balinese cat with lilac points and ice blue eyes. They are basically siamese cats with long hair and without the talking but all of the ‘tude! She became my daughters tumor! She slept with her and in the morning when I came to wake her up Pix would paw her and lick her until Kenz was up for good. She wouldn’t have anything to do with any of us. Now that we brought a new kitty into the house Pix was very angry. She now cuddles with my youngest daughter who has anxiety and ADHD. My youngest daughter is not always fond of her because Pix is heavy and scratches her when she moves her off. I would love more than anything for my daughter and I to have a couple of horses. She is a horse lover and when the 2 of us are around horses the whole world melts away. They are some of the most amazing creatures on the planet. I know for most people horses are a love or hate thing and we LOVE horses in this house
When I was with my ex from 2004-2008, we raised this little runt of the litter from a kitten. When she was fully grown she still weighed only 4 1/2 pounds. She’d cuddle up with me on my side of the bed, nest in my arm, or I’d wake up to her purring softly on my chest (which I didn’t mind since she was so light). She actually loved to play fetch with stuffed mice and when we were sitting in the living room, she’d settle in on the ledge above my head. When my ex would sing in Karaoke Revolution, she’d sit next to him and try to sing along too; it was adorable. I miss her terribly since I haven’t seen her in a couple of years due to time constraints, but that’s definitely on my list of things when I can make some time (me and the ex are still friends).
She always seemed to know when something was bothering me and she’d pad over and make me smile. Animals create special bonds in a way that people just can’t. The unconditional love of a well cared animal and the fact that they don’t judge you is one of the best feelings in the world and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I love my Shar. 🙂
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