My dear Thomas…
As you sit on the edge of adulthood after climbing the mountain of being a toddler and little boy taking so long to talk and moving through such deep grief that you couldn’t understand…
After negotiating school, being a teenager and all of its peaks and troughs, and then finally finding that comfortable spot and great view that your teachers and school mates offered…. well after the comfort of that view I see you look around with such uncertainty, fear and a wondering about how to negotiate the mountain of adulthood… wondering which mountain is yours to climb and wondering who will be there for you as you climb it and wondering how you will make it…
Well, I want you to know Thomas that we will be there for you… Jack will be teaching and helping you and your Mum, friends and family will be there… we will help you find your mountain with the right view for you… we will fight for people to ‘see’ you, to ‘know’ you and not just see the label of autism… but in fact see how the unique YOU that you are with autism along for the ride has so much to offer.
So, we have rested in the comfort of the safe and comfortable place and space that school had become and now we have to put on our boots, be prepared to make the climb and do what is required to climb our next challenges… you are stronger than you know Thomas, and you may have a little Mummy, but she is a fighter and she is fiesty and she is always on your side and so is your big brother.
We will climb together, we will take responsibility and water and mow our grass on our patch of ‘life’ (lol), and we will get our next beautiful view and we will be stronger for it! I am always with you every step of the way!
Love from Mum x
