Why I Talk About Autism

I went to a get together at my friend Rachael's house the other night. I only get to see Rae 1 or 2 times a year but she is still an awesome friend. She doesn't have any kids and we are not particularly alike at all but we fit nicely together and through all 4 of my kids and all our craziness she has not run for the hills. Anyways what makes our friendship even more special is thinking how she is placed in my life for reason & I in hers. Rachael has a friend with a 13yr old boy with Autism. I met this boy when I was pregnant with Steven but never thought I would have a son as special as him. While I was talking to people I knew at the party I mentioned Mitchell's Autism and this other guest spoke up at how similar our lives seemed and she has a 5yr old daughter on the spectrum. Blow me down. Hear we are, 3 random women with 1 person in common and we all have children with Autism. I'm thinking we exceeded the normal ratio for typical:spectrum. At MOPS earlier this year we had s speaker who talked about being Authentic and not being afraid to share your story because someone else may need to hear it. I'm a pretty outspoken mom Mitchell & Autism. I used to cry at the thought of saying the word but now it's one of the first things I say when you meet me. I don't throw it out there as a "oh look at poor me" or even "look at rockstar me & all I can handle". I do it because I want to share my story in hopes of letting others know its ok to share theirs. Saturday night was so much more than a cookie exchange. If I hadn't talked about Mitchell maybe I wouldn't have known the new girl & I had something so important in common.