The things that may never be

As parents of a child with autism there are many challenges and obstacles to overcome and deal with on a daily basis, but there are things that come up that there is just no easy answer for, or quick fix. That is what I want to talk about in this post.

As my son hit puberty he started to notice girls more and wanting a girlfriend was something he expressed to me. Well maybe not expressed in words but it seemed every time he was around a pretty girl that was nice to him, in his mind she was his girlfriend. His mother and I both do our best to explain to him that that isn't how it works and the girl could be his friend but her being friendly doesn't make her his girlfriend.

Seeing his excitement over the possibility of having a girlfriend broke my heart. There are so many things in this world that I want to give my son and allow him to live his best life. I want him to have the opportunities to experience what typical kids get to experience!

But if you are the parent of a child with autism you understand that it isn't always that easy!

Here is a good example, right now my son is in love with all things Japan. He keeps telling us he wants to go on vacation to Japan, fantastic! Here is the problem; he doesn't really comprehend what that all entails. He doesn't understand the cost, the amount of time it would take to get there, and after about 3 hours he would be asking when we are going home?

So for now I am thinking of taking him back to LA for a visit and bringing him to China town. It's not Japan but. Or taking him to comic-con. Sometimes you have to think outside the box!