To my Son’s Teacher

Tomorrow my son will start in your classroom.

It will be our first real time spent apart since he was born. I worry you won’t like him.

I’m afraid he’ll be too much for you to handle. Everyone tells me this will be good for him…good for me.

I hope you love him like your own. 

Chances are, my little guy will have no idea I’ve even dropped him off because he lives in his own world.

He will probably grab your hand and happily go with you because he has no sense of stranger danger.

He won’t know not to run off if you’re not looking. I hope you’ll keep a close eye on him and love him like your own. 

When he is with you he will depend on you for everything… something to eat, something to drink, clean, comfortable clothes, and an extra hug or snuggle.

See, that’s the thing about nonverbal autism. It takes a while for new people to figure out his sounds…his gestures…his tugging on your hand…his sensory seeking behavior.

Sometimes it can be confusing, or misinterpreted, or even overlooked.

I know you’ve been doing this for a lot longer than I’ve been his mom, but I’m scared.

I hope you’ll take care of him and love him like your own. 

As much as this journey scares me, I’m hoping it will be the best thing we never knew we needed.

I hope we can celebrate even the smallest wins like they’re the biggest victories. I hope that we can be the best team and advocates for my sweet boy.

I pray that you have patience, understanding, and an open heart to love him like your own. 

You’re going to be the one to help push us out of our comfort zone. You will be the one to challenge me to expect more from him.

I worry that I’m not cut out for this job. I’m scared I will fail.

I’m sure as I struggle with the transition I will be reminded by moms that have gone before me that you’re great at what you do, that you’ve done this for a long time, and that I should trust you. And I will.

I will learn to trust that you love him like your own. 

At the end of the year I hope we can exchange hugs, laugh about the challenging times, cry happy tears for all his accomplishments, big or small, and plan for another fun year after summer break.

Thank you for everything you do, not only for my son but also for all the sweet babies you take care of everyday.

We need your gentle guidance, that extra push, that encouragement to keep trying and to never give up.

Thank you for loving my son.

Written by, Monique Humphries

I’m a south Georgia mama, raising a sweet nonverbal son. He’s precious and my husband and I are just figuring it out as we go. His sister adores him, and so do we.

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