You’re Building Something Beautiful 💙
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April is Autism Acceptance Month, and I want to take these next few weeks to share more about my story as an "Autism Mama." 💙 ***** I used to constantly feel behind with my son. That feeling caused me to believe that I was failing as a parent. My son wasn’t doing all the things other kids his age were doing. That’s how all the testing started. Once he was diagnosed with autism, I jumped into action because I didn’t want him to fall even farther behind. I ran myself crazy about every little thing. I remember stressing out about him still sucking his thumb well into his toddler years (and beyond). I'd bring it up to his pediatrician at every visit. Then one day, his pediatrician said to me in the calmest of voices, “Don't work yourself up. He’ll stop on his own.” I felt dismissed. To be honest, I was mad. What kinda solution is that? But after trying everything and exhausting myself, I gave up. And you know what? One day... Quincy just stopped. I couldn’t tell you exactly when. I just realized it wasn’t a thing anymore. I share that story to remind you: relax and celebrate the small wins. Some milestones take longer, and that’s okay. What matters most is that you don’t burn yourself out trying to control every detail or keep up with someone else’s timeline. Flow, not force. Start where you are and keep moving. That’s what matters. Something not working? Move on to the next thing. It took me a while to truly believe this and practice it myself. But over time, I saw how the foundation I built (covering the basics) fostered the right environment for my son to grow in his own time. Now that I've learned this lesson, I view the journey as a puzzle. (I know there's some controversy around the puzzle piece and autism, but walk with me.) With a puzzle, you can start with any piece and end with any piece. No matter what piece you begin with, it all comes together in the end. As parents, we often think: My child needs to learn "this" before they can do "that." But that might not be the case at all. They may need something completely different at that stage and time. There could be something that needs to "click" for them in their own way before it all comes together for them. One section of the puzzle that needs to be completed before it makes sense. So consider this. Maybe you’re focusing on the wrong section of the puzzle right now. Maybe you need to focus somewhere else. And one day, you’ll look up and realize the section you were once obsessing over has come together… quietly, and in its own time. 😉 Ingrid 📅 Mark Your Calendar: Live Q&A on Tuesday, April 29th at 12:30pm CST! (via Instagram) Got questions about autism, parenting, or navigating the unknown? I’m answering your questions live! Subscribers will receive the recording via email. 👉🏾Submit your questions here! 💻 P.S. Don’t forget! My course is 25% off all month long! It’s designed to support you exactly where you are, not where others think you should be. Get it today! Single Mom's Intro to Autism Parenting |