A mother's promises

1. I should never be embarrassed by my son and the autism that he has. I should be proud of him and how hard he struggles and fights the autism just to get through the day and live in a world that is caught up in trying to please everyone else.

2. I should never try to hide his autism from him. He has a right to know and to understand what makes him so unique from everyone else, just as a blind child has a right to know how they are unique, and a child with crutches needs to know why he can't walk without them.

3. Friends and neighbors need to know as well. I never fully understood this until my son climbed the fence and entered the neighbor's house uninvited one day. These guys are quick and can disappear in an instant.

4. Last but definitely not least, I realized that I should get to know my son and the autism he has. By this I mean try to learn how he thinks, how he feels, what motivates him and then meet him in the middle. Let some of his behaviors be his behaviors for a while, focus on safety. Teach him that he belongs in the world, to be proud of himself and to always know that you love him regardless.

As a parent, I try my best to do all of these things every day. As a result I have gained his trust, he knows he can count on me to understand and help him through the tough stuff, and the learning and progress he has made have just fallen into place one piece at a time.

-- Sabina Childers, Jackson mother