My Son, A Mac in a PC World

As a parent of a child diagnosed with autism, I had to adjust to my son’s interests and not my own. It took a lot of practice and patience. Put yourself in your child’s shoes. Imagine a world where everything is chronically overwhelming to all five of your senses.

I always say, “My son is a “MAC in a PC World.” He is wired and formatted differently. Who cares about popularity contests? I had to think more like him. I had to be more complicated and more formatted as a human.

On meltdowns and behavioral issues, we talk and hug a lot until he is calm. It is the reassurance that helps him relax. In the worst of cases, I force him to take a warm bath. Anyone knows a warm bath will relax you within minutes. A blue bath even better!

How do I make him extremely happy? Every day we laugh, sing, and dance. Before he could talk, we used a tablet. Some say hugging is not an option. Try stroking your child’s hair, face, hand, shoulder, or just a smile from across the room. If I am calm, he is calm. If I am angry, he is angry. As a parent, you do not decide how they think. As a parent, you decide how to be a better person.

Tasha Wooten is mother to six-year-old Hunter who is in first grade. He is brilliantly smart, handsome, and very lovable. He is the “HERO OF THE DAY” almost every day in his class. Hunter has great manners and respects everyone. He may be the only child, fatherless, and has an orphan mother, but he is still the happiest kid on earth. All because we laugh, sing, dance, and take warm baths.

This is article was featured in Issue 74 – Every Voice Matters