What is normal?

This is a post from my facebook page, Choosing Beautiful- Our life with ASD  from a few weeks back. I'm struggling lately with balance. How much is TOO much for my 4 year old. How many therapies is the magic combination? What will be the best thing for him? In the middle of that, all of this feels so hard. So not normal. Sometimes I want to hide away, hide him away so that no one can ever look at him differently. But, that's not fair to him. He has to learn and grow and interact. I've been quiet the last few weeks because I have so much to say that I can't seem to say anything. But it's coming. In bits and pieces I'm finding the words to help myself and maybe someday help others. Follow my page on FB too!  https://www.facebook.com/Choosingbeautiful 

 

I don't love this photo of myself. But it's one of the few I have of the 2 of us where he's smiling and engaged with me. He wasn't a huge fan of the sand at the beach, at first. And when he was done, he was done. But the space in between was peaceful and beautiful and though I loathe this word, normal. I'm starting to see, in small flashes, the child my baby is becoming. He was engaged with his brother, his dad, his friends. He helped Gavin bury brads feet and he helped brad dig holes. Brad said dig a hole! And Grayson went to work. So, yeah, teachers who tell me my kid does not have the ability to understand let alone follow verbal commands without pictures or being shown, go ahead and suck it. That's not kind but he's showing me daily that the things the professionals in his life tell me are not always true and right and law. We didn't stay in the sand too long, but my ball of constant motion enjoyed the sun and sand and watched the waves. We went in public, on a crowded beach, with success. He didn't run away. He didn't melt down. He let mom sit and watch and enjoy her boys playing together and apart and just be. That's progress, folks. I'll take it.