All three of the kids are really thriving this year. I sit back and think about them sometimes, and how each one of my kids is so different but so alike, too, and I feel so proud of them for everything they are and all that they do in their daily lives.
Today Sawyer starts his first day of middle school. Most people would probably think “Man, that kid is excited for school to start!” What they don’t know is that he wasn’t excited- he was overly prepared because he was a ball of nerves- worrying about being bullied, getting lost, or the work being too hard.
God has used Sawyer to help me be a better mother and person, and I believe it’s part of my life’s purpose to help educate others and advocate for him and others like him; that’s why I write this blog.
Sawyer got his middle school schedule today, and tonight we are going to shop online for his school supplies. He already got a new, “cool” backpack and new school clothes, too. He’s in that weird middle area where he’s too big for kids’ clothes, but not quite big enough for men’s clothes yet. This year, instead of The Childrens’ Place, we shopped at Old Navy; my little guy is growing up.
As I chatted recently with my sister about the upcoming school year, I thought again about how much I wish more school districts would do an autism training for teachers.
As parents, we are often told “choose your battles”, which is a way of telling us to think about which battles are worth the fight.
Sawyer is 11 now, and even though he’s come a very long way, he is still very different from his peers. Even though most of the time the kids at his school are understanding about his autism, there are still a few who like to make fun of him for his differences. My prayer is that the older Sawyer gets, the more the other kids may understand and accept his differences and the differences of others like him.
Our blended family may be strange for everyone around us, but we don’t care. Everyone has their own “normal”, and this is ours.
This year, Sawyer has discovered and fallen in love with “Bluey”; it’s his latest fixation. I don’t want Sawyer to be made fun of or left out of things because he is into things that the other kids in his grade think are for babies. But I also don’t want to discourage Sawyer from loving the things he loves.
The world of autism has changed so much since this became our family’s life 10 years ago. There have been more diagnosed, and the categories for autism have changed.
Every year, 1 in 36 children in the US is diagnosed with autism. That is wild to me. because when Sawyer was diagnosed in 2015, the statistic was 1 in 52.
Sawyer has developed a new “tic”, or stim. He kind of “chews” or smacks his lips a little on the left side now, and that’s new. I asked him why he does that, and replied “Um, I don’t know. It’s just what I do.”
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