Smile and Ignore

I have to smile and ignore when I hear

"I don't know how you do it."
     Well what exactly would you do?  Leave the congnitively impaired child of yours in a cage or to fend for themselves?  Yeah it's better I ignore you.

I have to smile and ignore when I hear someone say
"Whenever I think I have it bad, I just think of you and get grateful"
    Why don't you just come up to me and say, WOW!!!  Your life is a SUCK FEST of EPIC proportions.  - See it really is better that I just smile at you.

I have to smile and ignore you when you say
"Do you think he could be like "RainMan" and you can take him to Vegas and count cards?" - Yes people ask me this
    That was a fucking movie - See better if I smile and pretend I didn't hear you

I have to smile and ignore you when you say
"Do you know what group home you'll put him in when he's 18?"
    No but I know what nursing home I have picked out for you.  - A smile is so much more pleasant

 I have to smile and ignore when I hear
"My kids eat what I make or they just don't eat, I'm not a short order cook"
   Well fuck you - Smile is better

For the most part, I do try and promote awareness and teach people about Autism so they are aware, informed and know, my kids are people too.  There are days though, when Autism has just kicked my ass, stomped on my soul, and abused my kids, my family, my house and I have nothing good to say about it, so I have to elect to be quiet, because sometimes autism makes me not nice or patient or dignified.


 I am so incredibly grateful to some of the people in my life that accept my kids and me and the autism and all that comes with it.  I love and appreciate and respect the tolerance and patience that it takes to include us in events.  I love our friends that have taught their children about the similarities in our kids and not the differences, I love that our friends are kind to my kids, I love our friends that just accept us because after all we are just people.  We are a little different, but we are not less.  I appreciate every single person in our life that goes out of their way to do something to learn about my kids and autism, and especially those that offer support and help for them and us.

There is a lot more good going on than bad.  Autism makes some days incredibly challenging, but everyday we all get a little better  but somedays, the best I can do is smile and walk away.  Please understand, it's not it, but I think enough of you on those bad days to not respond.