The Extra Mile Dad
You. What would I do without you?
The father of my children who goes the extra mile. We have an extra mile child. He has extra needs.
We are learning together. Learning how to best parent our sweet boy. Together.
We have our bumpy times walking this extra mile. We may not agree, we may not yet understand, we both are sleep deprived.
We keep going.
When our son was diagnosed I know how hard it was for you. You were in Afghanistan when I was on the phone telling you…”Michael, he isn’t playing like the other kids do at the park.”
You weren’t here to see what I was talking about. You trusted me. You were confused but you trusted me.
You jumped right into understanding the minute you got home from your deployment.
I remember you listening to me when I told you he didn’t like going to the store anymore and I was saving his first haircut for when you were here to help me.
I remember you looking back at me with a smile when you realize he was following lines on the ground. Walking lines in concrete. Walking along lines of shadows.
I remember you saying, “he is such a cool kid”. So observant.
What I’m thankful for is that I have you. I have you as his father. I have you by my side figuring this out together.
I have a husband who sees all the good in our sons beautifully unique personality.
You are there to help him meet his sensory needs. To throw him on the crash pad and tickle him while he laughs uncontrollably.
You are there to help snuggle him at night because he has such a hard time sleeping.
You are there to listen to me constantly talk about my autism research.
You are there to get him to eat string cheese. He won’t eat it with me. You unstring it the perfect way for him.
You are super dad.
We have our times where we are overwhelmed. We are sleep deprived. We are tired.
We are always running to appointments. You are handed a child the minute you walk in the door from work. I know this is hard.
You give us your all and we couldn’t be more thankful.
Written by, Annie Velasco
We are a military family currently residing in Florida. Our son was diagnosed with Autism a year ago. He is a super happy child who has a love for animals-especially horses. There are many things I need to teach my son, but he is my teacher as well. We are constantly trying to learn and advocate!
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Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook, subscribe for exclusive videos, and subscribe to our newsletter.
