You are going to LOVE my kid!

Every parent does it- thinks that EVERYONE should love their kid like they do. I mean- MY kid is perfect- YOU should be bowled over by the cuteness, intelligence and all around adorableness that is MY kid!

How could you NOT love this kid?

I am no different.  Maybe I am pushier when it comes to the youngest boy child.When you have a  child with  Autism- you tend to be even pushier than the average parent in pointing out the "normal" things your kid does, trying to make sure people don't focus on his maddening ability to list and describe every, single damn dinosaur discovered as well as their eating habits, when they lived and died etc etc.

What I am trying to get them to focus on is his sweet disposition, his desire to make people happy, his wanting to please parents, teachers, friends and coaches.  He truly is the complete opposite of what most people think autism is like.I call him my little indigo child- I truly believe he has a deeper understanding of human nature - if he doesn't like you- then something is not right with you.  He loves hugging, he talks, he has empathy...and these are all things that kids and adults with autism supposedly aren't capable of doing. Many can't- that is a fact...but there are a lot who are able to show emotion, empathy and talk- and then you get to hear "Well, he doesn't LOOK autistic" comments. Good with the bad, it's how I have to look at things or I will have a stroke.

I was talking with one of the football dads and he said that all of the coaches talk about my boy- in a VERY good way. They all love him, they think he is the sweetest kid and they all want to help him be the best possible football player he can be.  I damn near cried...happy tears.

You see- it is  near impossible to NOT love my boy. And I say that in all seriousness- there is something  about him- people are drawn to him- he is quite adorable (ok- that is mommy braggin here) and if you can get around the stuttering and speaking in movie-ese (as we call it) then you are hooked!

His football coach adores him. And the boy thinks Coach is pretty awesome too. He is always in Coach's bubble, holding his hand ,being very affectionate. And as a football coach- he is striving to maintain the rough, tough demeanor that keep s a group of 35  eight and nine year old boys in line. So he talks to the boy about personal space.  Then the boy goes completely the opposite way and goes as far away as he can. Then Coach says- where ya at Barnsdale? And here he comes...

So now we work with him on ALWAYS being by the coach's side- minus the touching him. Just be there buddy. They all  love you as it is- show them that you wanna play and they will love ya even more. If that is even possible.

The boy's chosen spot. Right next to coach