To the Best Mommies I Know...

I love holidays.  I love the traditions, the time spent with family, and I also love that they give me a chance to clearly see the gains Brian makes from year-to-year.  For example I can think about how he was actually engaged in dying eggs this year and did as many as his brother did compared to last year when he just did a couple and he mostly just threw them into the cups of dye.

Holidays can also be hard and lonely.  Lonely in the fact that kids with autism may not understand what the holiday is, what it consists of, or what the meaning of it is.  I sometimes find Mothers Day kind of hard.  Call me selfish, but I wish Brian would wake up and say “Happy Mothers Day!” and shower me with kisses and eagerly anticipate giving me whatever handmade treasures he has come up with.  I know he loves me and I hope he is grateful for all that I do, but that acknowledgment would be nice.  I don’t feel too bad for myself because I do have an older child who does all of those things to the umpteenth degree.  Corbin blessed me with jumping on me in the early hours with lots of hugs and kisses.  He had wrapped a half-dozen handmade gifts as well as a cookbook that he had spent his piggybank money on at his school’s book fair.

Looking at the cookbook Corbin bought.  I had no idea he had bought this.
It was completely on his own.  Love that kid.

 I’m not saying Brian didn’t proudly hand me the flower he had planted for me after he watched Corbin give me his gifts but the connection between the flower and the holiday was not there.  

Brian handing over the flower...in his underwear.  This shouldn't shock anyone by now.

But it makes me wonder about families who have just the one child that is on the spectrum.  It especially makes my heart go out to those single mamas with that one child. Did they have someone tell them what a great job they are doing?   Because in my mind Mothers Day is a very special day.  It’s a day to honor Moms everywhere.  And no one deserves that honor more than Mothers who have children on the spectrum.

So even though this is a week late, let me tell all of you out there what a great job you are doing.  Let me tell you I know and I appreciate all of the sacrifices you make for your children.  I want to tell you I know the heartbreaks and the hardships you endure and that I fully recognize the blessings and the joys that you incur from the simplest things in life.  There is no finer mother out there, than those who give it their all when it comes to their children with special needs.  Happy belated Mothers Day to you all!