A Simple Card
Last night I did the usual unpacking of my daughter’s school bag, emptied her lunch kit and read her commination book to see how her day was.
As I was going through her stuff, I noticed a card ‘’To Mom’’ which threw me as she calls me Jennifer.
I opened it up and it was a Christmas card Kya had made for me. I burst into tears.
To me it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was also the very first card from Kya.
As a special needs parent, we typically miss out on these types of things. Most of the time my kiddo doesn’t acknowledge any sort of Holiday.
Kya has never wished me a Happy Mother’s Day. She simply doesn’t understand.
I think that day stings the most and not because of a gift or card but because she doesn’t comprehend the concept. It’s a heartbreak that is indescribable.
For me and most parents with kiddos on the spectrum Holidays are tough. People assume all kids love Christmas but there are so many kiddos that simply cannot handle it.
They can’t participate in the events that lead up to it and they are usually so overstimulated by them it triggers a meltdown.
That’s what we deal with during the most wonderful time of year.
Most Holidays I want to come and go because I am not sure how much more heart break I can take.
I want to be able to do all the things that come with this time of year, but we simply can’t. It’s hard not to fall into a dark place watching the world enjoy what we can’t.
Sometimes that heartbreak is too much and then something so small like a card fills your heart with so much joy.
A simple card.
I would say Kya understands Christmas this year more than years past but I’m not sure if that’s because she’s waiting for Santa to bring her the Angelina Ballerina Doll.
She has also found a new love for the movie Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, so she is also asking where he is because she knows he brings Santa on his sleigh.
I cannot wait to see her face Christmas morning she has wanted his doll for so long. I am also impressed with myself for not already giving it to her.
Sadly, with the anticipation of Santa brings extreme anxiety. As each moment passes it becomes more and more intense. There is no joy, relaxing or fun.
Autism takes that from her.
Come on Santa. We need a Christmas miracle over here.
On we go.
Written by, Jennifer Dunn
My name is Jennifer Dunn, I am the mother of a beautiful 7 year old girl with ASD. Kya and I live in Vancouver, Canada. I work full-time and also manager her team of therapists. Our weekends are mostly filled with therapy, but I am happy to be on this journey with my Bug. I share our journey at https://www.facebook.com/keepingupwithkya/
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