Autism Warrior

I wrote this for my son. He is my whole world.

The moment we met

I knew I'd love him forever

I'd always take care of him

Come Hell or high water

I didn't know then

The journey we'd make

How hard it would be

How long it would take

The screaming the yelling

The long sleepless nights

Being a parent 

Is well worth the fight

He was so young

I didn't know how to feel

An Autism diagnoses 

It couldn't be real

I held back my tears

I held back my fear

It only got harder

Year after year

Twelve years have gone by

It hasn't been easy

He has made me stronger

He's an Autism warrior 

Author's Note

This is about my son.

Reviews

[Pete]

a very touching and heartfelt write. a beautiful tribute to him. i love the title. liked how you took it from initial fear and sadness to being ok with it. yes, i would imagine that it would make you stronger. you have my admiration - it must be very difficult. i don't know much about living with it (i saw the movie Rainman). i am told that they are gifted in other ways. stay strong & keep loving him no matter. bravo!

[Lexi Wilkins]

Thank you so much.

[Rebel]

I love this poem. My older half brother has Autism and he is also a Warrior.

[Jon G.]

Lexi, First, raising kids is tough work for any parent who cares. But adding to that the physical and emotional demands of raising a child with a special need takes a depth of courage and conviction that someone who hasn't gone through it can't understand. You are the hero in this story, make no mistake.

Second, I write for myself as therapy. I feel like that is what this was for you, too. But it feels like you held back. You mention the stress, yelling, sleeplessness... But you seem to counter each negative with an almost apologetic positive. The expectation in our society is that we must perpetuate this propaganda that parenthood, though trying at times, is overwhelmingly a pleasant and positive experience. If you are writing as a form of therapy I would suggest exploring that painful side with no reserve, really use that emotion to construct a moving piece.

You may need to do this more anonymously to uphold that societal expectation, but I promise there are those of us out there who recognize that the internal struggle is as real as the external. That sometimes you may ask, "Why me?" That sometimes you wish things were different. That you could have a day without yelling, or just enjoy a normal meal in a restaurant without the fear of things going terribly wrong. You would benefit both us and your own emotional well being by being open about your very real human experience.

And maybe I'm way off here. Maybe I'm projecting more than I'm reading. You've demonstrated your courage and strength, both in posting your poem and in your dedication to your son. Thank you for sharing and I wish the both of you the very best.

[Lexi Wilkins]

I agree with you... I felt that I held back some as well. Your comment has really helped me to learn to open up a bit more and not hide my fears. Thank you.

[CBH]

I wish you the absolute best in caring for your brave son. I have always felt compelled to try and help such a cause, and it's stories like this that inspire me to collect money and run 5k's for Autism Speaks. Thank you for the added motivation!

[Lexi Wilkins]

Thank you for this post and for helping the cause. It means so much to me knowing that people support Special Needs children in anyway they can.

[Cyprian Van Dyke]

My heart goes out to you, you've enabled it by your amazing writing here. I wish you and your son the power and love, powerful love. :)

[Lexi Wilkins]

Thank you so much.

[Cyprian Van Dyke]

You're most welcome.