What I Have Learned

What I have learned from Garrett and our other children who fall within the autism spectrum is that they are children first and people with autism second. I imagine that it is much the same way that our Heavenly Father sees all of us: we are His children first, and we have trials and experiences second. Our children want love, attention, help, success, and praise. They want their pain to be eased, and they want to feel hope. They enjoy life differently than many people do, yet their needs and wants are similar to those of most everyone.

What I have learned from my Heavenly Father is to be more like Him as a parent. I've learned to stop, to think, to listen. I've learned to keep my communication with Him open. And I've learned to have what our family calls "a bendy brain"—to be flexible—when looking at the situations life throws at us. This means exposing all of our children to life experiences instead of isolating ourselves.

Finally, I've learned how rewarding all the effort, the sleepless nights, and the hard work really are. Yes, raising children with special needs takes faith and patience, but they give me back more love than I could ever imagine. And I've learned that however unknown the path may seem, the Lord will always guide us.