I saw this saying on an autism awareness site today. Inspire, Teach, Love and Hope. I thought about it for a bit and realized this really goes both ways when you have a child on the spectrum.
Inspire: My son Aiden, Inspires me every day. He inspires me to learn as much as I can about Autism, He inspires me to be the best father I can be for him. He inspires me because despite his limitations in the nurotypical world, he plays, laughs, he interacts, he loves his family. He really inspires me because I can see the intelligence waiting to be unleashed.
Teach: Aiden teaches me everyday to love unconditionally. He taught me to open my heart to people with differences. He has taught me that people learn differently, and when you unlock that, the amount of knowledge that can be absorbed is amazing. The two most important things he has taught me is patience and persistence. Patience because of the different way people learn, it may take a while to get to the destination, and persistence because I will never stop until I get to the goal.
Hope: Aiden give me hope with every little accomplishment, be it however small. I see an intelligent funny, and a little sarcastic little boy, wide eyed and ready for the world. I hope every day, no, I am sure he will make his mark on it.
Love: I have never loved someone so much. My heart breaks when he is frustrated or unhappy.
Aiden has the ability to know when you are feeling down. this is something that is not typical in most people on the spectrum. yesterday, during the preparations for the holiday I was feeling a little down, missing my parents. Aiden sat down next to me, reached over and held my hand. When I looked over at him he smiled, as if to say it's OK dad, I'm here, there is nothing to be sad about. I reached over a gave him a hug and felt so much better.
