Happy Mother’s Day To All The Amazing Autism Mamas

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, but especially to autism moms. Because your Mother’s Day isn’t a typical Mother’s Day (just like each day for you isn’t a typical day). I know you might not be getting flowers and romantic love notes. Food allergies don’t stop for Mother’s Day. Seizures don’t stop for Mother’s Day. Medical needs don’t stop for Mother’s Day. Autism doesn’t stop, so you can’t either.

But I want you to know that you are not alone. You are not forgotten. You are a rock star. You are a warrior. You are a HERO!

So, I write this as a tribute to you.

This is for the mom who won’t get to sleep in or get breakfast in bed because she has to wake up and cook a meal from scratch that doesn’t have any gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, artificial colors or flavors, or any other allergens.

This is for the mom who, instead of getting a spa day, scrubbed poop out of the carpet for the millionth time.

This is for the mom who used her “treat yourself” gift card to buy supplements.

This is for the mom who can’t have a night out to dinner because there is no one to babysit, and even if there was it would be too hard to prep the dinner and explain the supplements and the bedtime routine only to get a phone call as soon as the meal arrived about a seizure or a tantrum or a bathroom accident.

This is for the mom who won’t be getting any jewelry because it would just get ripped off of her neck by a child with sensory issues (and if she did get jewelry she would just have to sell it for medical expenses anyway).

This is for the mom who won’t be cashing in any homemade coupons and is instead just praying for a hug or even eye contact.

This is for the mom who might never get to experience the joy of a child having his own first home, her first job, a wedding, or a grandchild.

This is for the mom praying to hear the words, “I love you” or any words at all.

I wish you a moment today that you can be more a mom than an autism mom. I wish you a tantrum-free day of ease and relaxation. Since making that a reality is out of my hands, I wish you a day that you can put EOBs and IEPs and medical research aside. And if that isn’t possible either, well then … I wish you a shot of tequila. We do the best we can with what we have.

Cheers and Happy Mother’s Day, Amazing Autism Mama!