Harrison and I were talking yesterday. He said he thought people would unfriend me on Facebook and I would be upset. First, I told Harrison that if they unfriended me they weren’t my friends in the first place. Why would they unfriend me?
He asked me how I keep track of my blog, Sydney’s Super Squad, and being an autism advocate. He said that many of his friends were talking about how their families unfriended each other because of the presidential election. I told him that I appreciated his concern but I would be fine. He wondered if people would get tired of me spreading autism awareness and unfriend me too.
Our journey as a family is so much more than autism. Autism does take up a huge part of our family dynamic, but we are more than autism. I have said it before that Autism Awareness doesn’t stop on May 1st for our family. We are advocating all year-long. I am raising awareness not to benefit myself. I am advocating for the teacher that will talk with a parent about their child’s recent diagnosis. I am advocating for the church that might not understand the “stimming” that a child is doing while at church. I am advocating for the group of parents at the park or sporting events that might criticize and judge a child with autism. I am advocating for the person that may not know it yet, that autism will hit close to home.
Autism isn’t a death sentence. I explained to Harrison that when you are passionate about a cause or an organization that you will advocate and network with people to spread awareness. Has autism made me cry, laugh, depressed, frustrated, and scared? Yes, it has. We now realize the purpose and meaning of our family. We have a new mission statement. I will continue to advocate for autism, special needs families and single parents that are raising a child with a disability.
If my message bothers you, please scroll past it. But just remember you might read something that will change your perspective. Harrison’s 50 State Autism Challenge is proof that one voice can make a difference and reach many.
A Woman's Work - Brooke Basically Blogging 