Ten Things I've Done as the Mother of a Quirky Son
Parenting an Adult on the Spectrum
If you’ve read my blog for more than a minute, you know that being the mother of Allen is not always easy. Friends often ask me how I manage. Here are just a few things I’ve done:
Listen to him talk about his Giant Robot Project for hours on end and never once expressed doubt that he could build it.
Taught him to keep both a comb and a handkerchief in his pocket and always comb his hair before leaving the house.
For the last four years, drove him to a barber 20 miles away because she is the only one he allows to touch his hair.
Jumpstarted his old car more times than I can count. Also helped him change the oil, the tires, and duct-tape a broken tail light.
Waited through the storm of a meltdown patiently, letting him stim and vent until the maelstrom had passed, then hugged him when it was over.
Taught him to respect women. Always.
Walked him step by step through the process of buying shoes, paying car insurance, talking to an auto mechanic about—you know, the old car—and participating in communion at church
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Bought him four of the same gray Fruit of the Loom tee shirts because they are the only kind he will wear.
Showed him how to cook more than frozen pizza and to always have a vegetable.
Thanked God every day for this wonderful, quirky, unique young man who has made me a more patient, tolerant, and kind mother, Christian, and human being.
God made me to be Allen’s mother. And it is a privilege. Even when I’m jumping his car.
Is there a unique person in your life who has taught you to be a better version of yourself? I’d love to hear about him or her!