HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
You may never get the ‘hugs’ or ‘love’ words, but you know they are there even if your child cannot emotionally express them.
Here are just some ‘Mom excerpts’ from my ‘Extended Book Reviews’; with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker which can be found on my website MENU. Go to www.sarasautismsite.com.
Note: Excerpts from these books – (4% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers).
From – A Child’s Journey Out of Autism: One Family’s Story of Living in Hope & Finding a Cure by Leeann Whiffin, eBook 2009 Edition
17% There are those extremely rare moments in which I catch a glimpse of the little boy who is hiding inside the farthest corner of a hollow shell…
My instinct as a mother tells me he’s in there. But, he’s falling deeper into oblivion as time goes on – further from my reach.
Wong & Heriot (2007) know that parents they have encountered mostly “maintain a hopeful outlook for their child’s future. This attitude enables them to pursue treatment options and cope with the day-to-day challenges and stress involved…” They say that mothers especially, hold a sense of reaching the child and accepting the diagnosis, at the same time. The study showed that even if the parents’ optimism was unrealistic, they continued to hold an overall hopeful view of the future for their child.
Reference: Wong, M., Heriot, S. (2007). Vicarious Futurity in Autism & Childhood Dementia; Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders; 37:1833-1841.
From – I Am In Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice by Elizabeth M. Bonker & Virginia G. Breen, eBook 2011; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
11% Elizabeth’s autism has been a barrier and a connector as well. In many ways, I am connected with her more deeply because of her autism. What thirteen-year-old goes for walks in the woods with her mom? Elizabeth has taught me, words are not needed.
From – The Autism Mom’s Survival Guide (for Dad’s, too!): Creating a Balanced and Happy Life While Raising a Child with Autism by Susan Senator, eBook 2011; with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
The sun will come up tomorrow and we will still have autism within our family. I can choose how I live it. We do not have to trade ourselves for our children, or our happiness for our children’s happiness. Even something as confounding and difficult as autism in the family is not the end of a happy life. Once we understand that, we will get there and it will all be OK.
One day you will feel that something inside you has shifted, lightened. When you look at your child, you no longer see a mass of problems, a broken thing to be fixed; you see you kid, just your kid. One day you will know that it’s just your life, warts, autism, and all. And you can’t wait to start living it to its fullest. Once you know this…you have just won the game.
From – He’s Not Autistic, But…How We Pulled Our Son from the Mouth of the Abyss by Tenna Merchent, eBooks 2007; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
53% My sister would call every day and ask, “How’s he doing? What did he eat? Is he having any symptoms?” I would excitedly tell her how wonderfully he was doing.
One day, I felt like I had hit the lottery! He said ‘Mommy’ for the first time, about two months after our visit. I couldn’t believe my ears. It felt so good.
From – Miracles are Made: A Real-Life Guide to Autism by Lynette Louise, eBook 2011; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
11% I began to get a glimmer of what lay ahead. It was a path I resisted. I didn’t want every aspect of Dar’s learning to be up to me. I just wanted to be his mom. However, as I was quick to discover, having every aspect be up to me is what it is to be the mom of a special-needs child.
From – Hello, My Name is Max and I Have Autism by Max Miller, eBook 2014; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
39% Max says, “I am not autism. I am ME.”
42% God made me autistic.
44% God sat there and asked the angels who should have autism and they chose me. The angels said I should have autism so I can make a difference in this world.
50% My parents love me as I am. I guess that is good because the autism isn’t going anywhere. Sometimes I wish I was normal but I was picked by the angels. I remember the angels. When I was born, I looked up and I thought I saw one but it was my mom.
< My Thoughts > “I looked up and I thought I saw one but it was my mom.”
Doesn’t this speak volumes about autism, angels, and moms?
From – Twirling Naked in the Streets and No One Noticed: Growing Up with Autism by Jeannie Davide-Rivera, eBooks 2013 Edition; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
95% As a child, I was carefree – happy, as I knew happy to be at the time. But when I grew into a young woman life got messy, and continued to come unraveled as time went on. I had difficulty making friends, raising children, and communicating with my husband largely due to my autism.
96% My boys now know I’m an Aspie, and to my 2 year-old I’m still just Mama. To my 8 year-old Aspie son, I’m still just mom. To my 13 year-old Aspie son, I am part mom, part superhero (according to him, my super-senses are super powers). I rejoice in my Aspie-ness, and if you are on the spectrum, or someone you love is, you should too.
Happy Mother's Day.
Regards,
Sara Luker
You may never get the ‘hugs’ or ‘love’ words, but you know they are there even if your child cannot emotionally express them.
Here are just some ‘Mom excerpts’ from my ‘Extended Book Reviews’; with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker which can be found on my website MENU. Go to www.sarasautismsite.com.
Note: Excerpts from these books – (4% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers).
From – A Child’s Journey Out of Autism: One Family’s Story of Living in Hope & Finding a Cure by Leeann Whiffin, eBook 2009 Edition
17% There are those extremely rare moments in which I catch a glimpse of the little boy who is hiding inside the farthest corner of a hollow shell…
My instinct as a mother tells me he’s in there. But, he’s falling deeper into oblivion as time goes on – further from my reach.
Wong & Heriot (2007) know that parents they have encountered mostly “maintain a hopeful outlook for their child’s future. This attitude enables them to pursue treatment options and cope with the day-to-day challenges and stress involved…” They say that mothers especially, hold a sense of reaching the child and accepting the diagnosis, at the same time. The study showed that even if the parents’ optimism was unrealistic, they continued to hold an overall hopeful view of the future for their child.
Reference: Wong, M., Heriot, S. (2007). Vicarious Futurity in Autism & Childhood Dementia; Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders; 37:1833-1841.
From – I Am In Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice by Elizabeth M. Bonker & Virginia G. Breen, eBook 2011; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
11% Elizabeth’s autism has been a barrier and a connector as well. In many ways, I am connected with her more deeply because of her autism. What thirteen-year-old goes for walks in the woods with her mom? Elizabeth has taught me, words are not needed.
From – The Autism Mom’s Survival Guide (for Dad’s, too!): Creating a Balanced and Happy Life While Raising a Child with Autism by Susan Senator, eBook 2011; with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
The sun will come up tomorrow and we will still have autism within our family. I can choose how I live it. We do not have to trade ourselves for our children, or our happiness for our children’s happiness. Even something as confounding and difficult as autism in the family is not the end of a happy life. Once we understand that, we will get there and it will all be OK.
One day you will feel that something inside you has shifted, lightened. When you look at your child, you no longer see a mass of problems, a broken thing to be fixed; you see you kid, just your kid. One day you will know that it’s just your life, warts, autism, and all. And you can’t wait to start living it to its fullest. Once you know this…you have just won the game.
From – He’s Not Autistic, But…How We Pulled Our Son from the Mouth of the Abyss by Tenna Merchent, eBooks 2007; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
53% My sister would call every day and ask, “How’s he doing? What did he eat? Is he having any symptoms?” I would excitedly tell her how wonderfully he was doing.
One day, I felt like I had hit the lottery! He said ‘Mommy’ for the first time, about two months after our visit. I couldn’t believe my ears. It felt so good.
From – Miracles are Made: A Real-Life Guide to Autism by Lynette Louise, eBook 2011; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
11% I began to get a glimmer of what lay ahead. It was a path I resisted. I didn’t want every aspect of Dar’s learning to be up to me. I just wanted to be his mom. However, as I was quick to discover, having every aspect be up to me is what it is to be the mom of a special-needs child.
From – Hello, My Name is Max and I Have Autism by Max Miller, eBook 2014; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
39% Max says, “I am not autism. I am ME.”
42% God made me autistic.
44% God sat there and asked the angels who should have autism and they chose me. The angels said I should have autism so I can make a difference in this world.
50% My parents love me as I am. I guess that is good because the autism isn’t going anywhere. Sometimes I wish I was normal but I was picked by the angels. I remember the angels. When I was born, I looked up and I thought I saw one but it was my mom.
< My Thoughts > “I looked up and I thought I saw one but it was my mom.”
Doesn’t this speak volumes about autism, angels, and moms?
From – Twirling Naked in the Streets and No One Noticed: Growing Up with Autism by Jeannie Davide-Rivera, eBooks 2013 Edition; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
95% As a child, I was carefree – happy, as I knew happy to be at the time. But when I grew into a young woman life got messy, and continued to come unraveled as time went on. I had difficulty making friends, raising children, and communicating with my husband largely due to my autism.
96% My boys now know I’m an Aspie, and to my 2 year-old I’m still just Mama. To my 8 year-old Aspie son, I’m still just mom. To my 13 year-old Aspie son, I am part mom, part superhero (according to him, my super-senses are super powers). I rejoice in my Aspie-ness, and if you are on the spectrum, or someone you love is, you should too.
Happy Mother's Day.
Regards,
Sara Luker
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