Our Hopes and Dreams for Acceptance

This morning I sat my three boys down…well, a few of us sat down and a few of us played Paw Patrol and negotiated a train ride this weekend….and chatted with them about the month of April.

I asked them what happens in April.

I heard Easter, mom’s birthday, and something about two train movies arriving from eBay. I may have even heard a ‘butt cheek’ in there but I chose to block that out.

All true. And then I shared with them how the month of April is the month that we get to talk all about how cool Cooper is because he is autistic.

And my sweet Sawyer said…’don’t we do that everyday mom? I mean…it’s called Finding Cooper’s Voice.’

That kid is so smart. He’s spot on.

Our family spreads awareness 12 months out of the year, April is no different. Autism is not a dirty word over here. We do not whisper it behind closed doors or mouth it to strangers when our son is sharing his color.

Nope, we own it. And our dream is for the rest of the world to do the same.

For the next few minutes, we chatted about what we want this April. What is something that our family wants for Cooper and his future.

We landed on this.

We want, and hope, and dream, that if you reading this sees a person in a store or at a park wearing noise canceling headphones or using a computer to speak or flapping their arms in excitement or sitting on the ground in frustration at Target, that you think about Cooper. The blonde haired boy who loves trains and paper. And that you think about how he has opened your eyes and shared the secret world of autism with you.

And that maybe you won’t be alarmed, or afraid, or anxious, or nervous, and maybe, just maybe, you will smile a reassuring smile to the stranger having a hard time.

Or maybe you a start a conversation about autism with a friend or someone in your family after. You can do that.

That would be acceptance. And that would mean the world to our family and families and self-advocates like ours.

And then tell us about it. Email me or message me and tell me how Cooper has changed your life. I would love to share it with him.

Cooper knows this is his month. He’s pretty proud of it too.

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.