Tag Archives: parenting

Words for the Warriors

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Sorry about the low resolution. The sun was setting.

After visiting Aladdin and Jasmine in Agrabah, I hopped over to China to spend some time with Mulan. Because of the time difference, it was evening already. When I asked her if she would record a video message for kids on the autism spectrum, she told me she was delighted to do it. “But why me?” she asked. So I explained.

After spending years preparing for, and dreading, the role that everyone expected of her—that of a demur, domestic housewife—Mulan felt like a failure. “Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?” she wondered. It frustrated her to feel that she couldn’t live up to people’s expectations. Looking at the world around her, she wasn’t sure where she fit in or if she would fit in at all. She wanted to be herself, but she was afraid how people would react. She was afraid, too, that she would have no future unless she became someone she wasn’t.

But then war came, and Mulan’s aged father was ashamed that he couldn’t help defend his homeland. Mulan saw her opportunity and, like Joan of Arc, she disguised herself as a soldier and took his place. After an awkward start, Mulan blossomed into a confident, self-possessed woman and led an army into battle against the Huns. Finally free to be the person she always had been, Mulan saved her kingdom and restored honor to her family’s name. Not bad at all!

I explained this to Mulan and told her how similar her story is to many people on the autism spectrum. Like her, many of them are frustrated or feel inferior because they don’t fit most people’s expectations. They may not talk. They may not be interested in sports. They may prefer to spend time cataloguing their bug collection instead of going to a birthday party. People might call them “awkward” or “quirky” or far worse. Feeling like they don’t fit in, they may be tempted to give up on their dreams. I told her they needed to think of themselves as warriors willing to fight negative stereotypes. They needed to become strong so that they could make a difference in the world. And they needed the inner strength to look at their reflection and see just how awesome they really are.

Hearing all of this, Mulan was more than happy to record the video. In fact, she was downright eager to tell talk about how it’s okay to be different—as long as you’re true to yourself. She told them . . . well, see for yourself.

A Whole New World of Awareness

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Here I am, posing with Aladdin and Jasmine, prince and princess of Agrabah. I’ve always liked their story, and not just because the Genie is such a hoot. There’s something touching and inspiring about this couple, and I was eager to tell them what an inspiration they were.

Always called a “street rat,” Aladdin didn’t think he would amount to much. He resigned himself to accepting what other people said about him and  acted like a street rat. But then he met Genie, who transformed him into Prince Ali and helped him win Jasmine’s heart. Aladdin’s adventures showed him that it was possible for him to break out of the restrictions people had put on him. And so, emboldened by his newfound courage, he defeated the sorcerer Jafar and set Agrabah free.

For her part, Jasmine was a thorn in her father’s side. She insisted on marrying for love and not for political expedience. In fact, her determination not to be confined by other people’s expectations had a major role in inspiring Aladdin to break out of his shell.

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So meeting Aladdin and Jasmine was fun. But it was even more rewarding telling them about some of the challenges that kids on the autism spectrum face. I told them how much potential these kids have—that they’re “diamonds in the rough,” just as Aladdin was. I also told them how easy it could be for these kids to accept a lesser vision for their lives simply because of the way other people treated them.

As sad as they were to hear all this, there were also touched to learn how many of these children are deeply loved by their parents and that their parents weren’t going to give up until they gave their kids the best possible future. This moved Aladdin especially, since he grew up alone and had no one to take care of him. Talking with them, you could tell how happy they were to see these kids being surrounded by such love and encouragement.

And so they were more than happy to send a little message to all the ASD kids out there. Click on this link to see their special message.

Pressing the Reset Button

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Reset Button

I learned (again) a lesson I never tire of learning. I guess it’s a good thing I don’t mind, because it’s a lesson I keep having to learn!

We had the pleasure of hosting a friend and roommate of mine from college for dinner. A Franciscan priest, he was recently assigned to a parish in nearby Baltimore. It was a lovely evening, even if it wasn’t a long one. He was up here in Frederick to fill in at  Mass in a local parish.

It was a delightful evening. I hadn’t seen this fellow in about five years, and we picked up again as if it was just yesterday. While we caught up, the kids came and went, some showing more of their autistic “quirks” more than others, and my friend flowed with whatever was going on. Even when one of my kids, full of social awkwardness, hovered nearby, scowling, for nearly ten minutes before coming forward for a formal introduction.

After he left, I felt so much more calm and content than I had all day. A couple of very strong melt downs sapped me in the morning, and I had to go into the office to file a boat load of insurance claims, many of which I wasn’t even sure would be covered. I kept feeling the tension rising all afternoon. But after spending just two hours with my friend, it just melted away. I felt like I had hit the Reset button.

A Big World Out There.

So here’s the lesson I keep on learning: I don’t have to get swept up in this autism parenting gig. I don’t have to resign myself to feeling that everything is closing in around me. There are other people to spend time with. There are other things to do. There’s a whole big world out there.

Of course, I need to keep a balance so that I’m caring for my kids properly, but I also need to come up for air every now and then and get a little break. Work is hard—often 50 hours a week. Kids have needs that can’t be ignored. Therapy sessions continue unabated at a pace of about five a week (I split them with Katie). Tantrums, melt downs, and communication miscues are a normal part of our everyday life. The list goes on and on and on, and there’s no sign of any major changes in the air.

It can be an isolating life, also. I can get so worn out that I can start thinking I don’t have the energy to relate to anyone else. I can feel so isolated because not too many people get what I’m talking about—and what else do I have to talk about except for this? Of course, none of this is really true, but it can start to feel this way. So if I don’t step out of the vortex every now and then, I won’t be of much use to my kids or my job, much less to my wife.

I wrote about this a few years ago and again just a few months back, and the same truths apply today. I don’t live near Disney World any more, so I don’t have a ready-made “happy place” to escape to. But I still need to escape. I just have to get more creative and more flexible to make sure it happens. I’ve got to find ways to unwind. I’ve got to find ways to get out of the house, even, if only to enjoy the benefit that a change of environment gives. It’s not like the place will collapse without me. I’ve got to give myself permission to step out every now and then. Everyone will still be there when I get back. And I’ll come back much better equipped to help them.

Hey, Look! We’re on the Internet!

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No, seriously. Christopher Ulmer, a young special-ed teacher from Florida, came and interviewed us for a project he’s working on called Special Books by Special Kids. He’s been traveling the East Coast recording  his encounters with special-needs families along the way.

Here’s a link to the video. Just about all of the kids show up—all except our youngest, who was too wrapped up in video games to be bothered with an interview. Enjoy!

The Best Christmas Present Ever

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Some random thoughts as I watch my son perform in the Frederick Children’s Chorus Christmas concert.

  • I never thought I’d see this day. This is the kid who didn’t talk until he was four years old, and here he is on stage, singing! This is the kid who couldn’t sit still to save his life, and here he is patiently and carefully following the director’s every move. This is the kid who could zone out at any point and lose track of his surroundings, and here he is completely and totally engaged in the concert.
  • Look at him up there singing so enthusiastically! That autistic black-and-white thinking has enabled him to focus so completely on getting everything right, just as he has practiced it for the past four months. He is doing everything exactly as he has been taught. Every movement executed with great precision. Every word enunciated clearly and crisply. That smile radiating so innocently.
  • Seeing him so dedicated to the performance here helps me understand what he meant when he complained about chorus practice a few weeks ago. He didn’t enjoy it, he told me, “because it was too much fun.”
    — “What? I can understand not fun enough, but how can you have too much fun?”
    — “Oh, you know, all the other kids were goofing off too much, and I wanted to get down to work. They were having too much fun when I was serious about learning the music.”
  • See that picture up there? That’s the same kid at his school’s winter concert. Yes, he is in two choruses—the school chorus and the much more competitive citywide chorus. At the school’s concert, not only did he sing in the chorus, he had a solo. My son. On stage. By himself. With a microphone.
  • I used to wonder what the future looked like for him. Would he be able to live on his own? Would he find a job? Friends? Love? Now I’m dreaming about how far he’ll go in life. It seems like the sky’s the limit for this kid.
  • His other passion, in addition to music, is cooking. He often helps Katie around the kitchen. Just the other night he and I baked Christmas cookies together. He was so confident and competent, so invested in what we were doing, so willing to learn and experiment. I don’t doubt for a minute that his dream job—owning his own restaurant—is within reach. It’s not just a pipe dream that I humor; it’s a real goal that I absolutely can see him accomplishing.
  • I see what you can do, son. When I remember what you were like a few years ago and see what you are accomplishing right now, I am convinced that your future is very bright. It’s so bright that my eyes are beginning to sting. Hang on a second while I wipe them with this tissue.
  • This is the best Christmas present I could ever receive.