family

(background: I'm a married mom of 2, Noah is 5 with autism, Maya is 2.5, neurotypical)

I was sent this article in the NY times about a sister that has twin autistic brothers. Those are always a little dangerous for me to read. They're like a glimpse of the future for me, but they're rarely ever positive. No, in fact, I haven't seen anything written positive about siblings and their brothers - about what they find to be special about them. No. This one was about the struggles. So I do read things about siblings of those with autism, but I always regret it. They're not our family. Even so, I just ache at the pain and hard growth that Maya will go through being in her situation. I was trying to process the article when it hit me that what I want to tell her the most is that, despite how difficult and painful it may be, this is my belief: she is made a better person because of him. And he is a better person because of her. Just like I am a better person because of my life partner, and certainly because of my children. I just hope that I can succeed in allowing her to grow and feel authentically about the whole thing, and supporting her in her journey. Each of us has journeys to go through, and if we can feel loved, and nurtured, and supported in doing so, I think we'll all be okay. I look forward to what the future brings. To see how my children grow and blossom.