Why?

Today, I decided to start our autism blog maybe because I know that raising a child in the autism spectrum is challenging and we need all the support we can get. That feeling that you know, you’re not alone. I read a quote once that being parents of a child in the spectrum is like being handed a map to a country you were not planning to be in. It’s like all your life you’ve planned to go to let’s say Australia so you’ve learned everything you can about the country and makes it even better that you did not have to learn a different language because you’re a native English speaker. Then you ride the plan all prepped and ready for your adventure then as the plane lands, they tell you you’re in… let’s say, France. So you feel a little anxious because you have no idea about the country, culture and you can’t speak the language but you’re there anyway and turns out you’re there for a long time because there are no flights out of the country. So you slowly try to learn everything you can, it’s challenging. That’s how getting an autism diagnosis felt.

Before I continue, I would like to introduce myself, I’m a 37 year old mom of a 10 year old in the autism spectrum. My husband has been the greatest support and even with his busy work schedule, he makes sure he helps me out whether it’s with the kids (Oh yes we have 2 younger neurotypical kids 7, and 5) or with house stuff. Our 10 year old, P, calls me “Mimi”. I’m an aromatherapist, pastry chef and a sales executive but I’ve been a stay at home mom since his diagnosis.

Anyway back to the why, why did I decide to share our family’s journey with autism? Because the rise of autism diagnosis is higher than ever and there’s a lot of people that after getting the diagnosis, they feel lost. I am not saying we’ve mastered the art of living with autism because even with the 7 years of experience, the challenge continues — you just never know what comes up. I just want to share how we rise above the challenges and how we try as much as we can to understand it and make it better for P.

I want to share our experiences because I want to let people know that a diagnosis is not the end but rather a beginning to a challenging yet rewarding journey of their lives.

“Mimi”