Why It Matters

Over the past two weeks, Logan has been able to attend his Sunday school class at church and also participate in Cub Scouts.  These are things that for years I wished and hoped that he could do, and it just never seemed to work out.  Either he was not capable of sustaining a calm for that long, or it just wasn't the right time.

A dear friend of mine and her husband became Logan's Sunday School teachers.  She messaged me one day to let me know and I was overjoyed.  She has read my blog from its inception, and knew exactly what she was going to be dealing with.  She and her husband made Logan's first day of class fun and memorable, and he wants to go back.

Last Wednesday, Logan begged to go to Cub Scouts.  I was sure that I would have to bring him home again as soon as we got there, but this time was different.  The couple that was there understand autism very well, and they said, "We'll make it work".  Logan has to try extra-hard in a social setting not to stim or get out of control.  When he wants something badly enough, he will make every effort to control himself.  This is what I have seen him do for the last two Wednesdays.  He has had a positive experience there each time and wants to return.

Why does all of this matter?  It's just a couple of little things, you might say.  I am so grateful to these four people.  So I will tell you why it matters:

1) It matters because Logan knows that he's different and wants, like everyone else, to be included.
2) It matters because for years, literally years, I have struggled with taking kids to and from church, working out who will watch Logan, what we will do with Logan if he can't stay at church, and what will happen with him on Wednesday nights if his father doesn't get home from work on time.  It has been years that my husband has rushed home on Wednesdays, tired and exhausted, just so he can take care of our son.  It has been years of never, EVER, being able to attend a class at church with my husband, because one of us is always needed at home.
3) It matters because the more people who get to know Logan, the more people will understand what autism is and what it isn't.
4) It matters because the more kids that deal with Logan, the more kids will understand that some people are different and that's okay.
5) It matters because serving others is one of the highest forms of love you can show someone.
6) It matters because it makes a lot of stress in our lives disappear.

I would like to publicly thank these four amazing people, and people everywhere, who take the time to help out families who need it, and who see the benefit and the extreme need for including children who would otherwise be overlooked.  You make the world a better place, each day.