Just another day
My youngest child CJ is our wild child! He is the kid my mom was referring to when I was younger, and she would say "wait until you have kids". His energy is high and his battery is always charged. I consume insane amounts of coffee and energy drinks just to keep up with him. Today was definitely a reminder of how no-one will ever understand the journey of Autism unless they live it! Everyday I get my Starbucks and I recently started making it a Matty and me thing. Matty just turned eight, he's getting older and starting to want his independence. So everyday for months now we get in the car, he just started putting on his own seatbelt, and even though he's non-verbal he gives me the directions all the way to Starbucks! Today, just like everyday I ordered ahead and we go in for pick up. Matty usually gets the straw while I grab the drink. Well not this time Matty decided to run as fast as he can behind the counter where the baristas are. I immediately run and get him but while I get Matty, Cj decides its his turn now and he pulls out of my hand and runs the complete opposite way down the hall to end of the store where there just so happened to be an emergency door open with like a trash barrel wedged in-between holding it open. So now I have Matty in one hand, my drink under my arm, and Cj is just staring at me with a giant smile standing in the door way getting ready to run for the back parking lot. Some how I manage to get ahold of Cj and I'm walking them both out of the store. As we are walking out a woman is walking in at the same time and leave it to Cj to reach down pull his shoe off and throw it out the door flying past the lady. Of course I immediately just start apologizing and in return I got the dirtiest look. And I get it everyone thought I just had 2 boys not listening. But what they don't know is last year we would not have been able to even go inside a Starbucks...the second they would see the Starbucks sign Matty would start kicking my seat,window,and start grabbing at CJ. CJ would just cry and scream . I would go through the drive threw trying to give my order over the noise praying the line would move fast ... so just being able to pull in the parking lot with both boys sitting next to each other happy is a win for us! What they don't know is everyday we practice this ... we have practiced everyday for almost a year... What they don't know is... that was the first time in almost a year that Matty decided to just take off on me (CJ is an eloper and tries it every other day). What they don't know is Matty who is non-verbal just gave me directions the whole way there. What they don't know is CJ was just excited to take the ride with us that day...CJ is also non-verbal and gets overstimulated very easily especially in a very crowded busy store. But what I wish they knew was Autism... I wish that they understood how far they have come and how hard they have to work to accomplish what comes so naturally to them. (the ones judging with their dirty looks)