From the outside looking in, I understand what this looks like. It’s really easy to judge or ridicule but I ask that you take a step back, and look at the bigger picture.

The house may be a mess but I managed to get us to all fourteen appointments this week, some of which were out if town. The kitchen is a mess but I managed to make meals that even my most sensory sensitive child would eat. Frankly, that’s nothing short of a miracle in my book. The clothes still need washing but I managed to get my son who rarely tolerates clothes, to wear a new pair of pants to school. I didn’t get any sleep last night and I was dragging today, but I was able to provide enough comfort to my son, who’s in a great deal of physical pain right now, so he could fall back asleep.

There’s so much more to the story than what you can see on the surface and while this is my personal story, there are countless others out there with stories just as compelling as mine.

You see, on the surface, it may seem like I’m lazy or irresponsible, because you only see one tiny piece of my life. Laziness is the last thing you should associate with me or any Autism parent for that matter.

Life is not forgiving for people in my shoes and it’s very easy to make assumptions about me or my abilities as a parent when you only glance at the surface.

My hope is that I’ve given you something to think about. If even one person reads this and walks away saying, I didn’t understand what so and so was going through, but I get it now, it’s all been worth it. I’d love for someone out there to read this, identify with it and realize that they aren’t alone. When someone realizes they aren’t alone, it’s a truly magical moment and I’m honored to be a small part of it.

That being said, if you’re going to judge me anyway, you’re welcome to put my shoes on and walk as far as you can.