Autism Parenting Advice
have my “ blonde moments ” or “ dizzy moments ” as I like to call them .
I guess most people don ’ t look at me and say : “ Hey , I bet you were diagnosed with PDD at two-and-ahalf years old , but wow , you ’ ve certainly come a long way ! I know that couldn ’ t have been easy !” Most people will assume I wasn ’ t interested enough to give them my undivided attention .
Some people actually assume I choose not to read directions when they are given to me . Little do they realize I need to read something a minimum of three times to even have a chance of fully comprehending what the directions are asking me to do . But you know what happens when you assume , right ?
I ’ ll be honest , some days it is really hard working as a full-time professional and navigating life with the residual effects of my learning disabilities . But one thing that has always helped me to not be so hard on myself is having a sense of humor . It took me a really long time to realize that it ’ s okay to laugh things off .
However , it took me an even greater amount of time to realize that it ’ s okay if your family , friends , or co-workers laugh with you but not at you . There is a very big difference between the two . I know what you ’ re thinking : How do I teach my child this ?
How do I provide a comfortable but humorous environment for my child , for times when they have to navigate these moments ?
It starts with YOU , my warrior parents ! Yes , you ! It is so important that you set an example for your child and show him / her that even you make mistakes , and even you have your “ silly moments .”
You can let your child know that you also step back and laugh at yourself ! I remember when my mother was earning her MBA while I was in middle school . She was running late for work and tripped , causing her to fall down a flight of stairs in front of everyone . Against all odds , she still managed to keep a full cup of coffee in her hand ! How impressive that the cup of coffee was still full — to me it was even more impressive that she was laughing at something I considered to be an extremely embarrassing situation . It was in that moment that I realized , if my mom can laugh at a situation like this , why can ’ t I ?
It ’ s okay to laugh !
Even though I received almost 10 years of physical therapy due to my spastic diplegia and my right external hip rotation , I still trip more than the average person . Call it clumsy genes , call it residual effects