This week past week, there was an issue with Gavin’s transportation to and from work. His transport under the current plan expired last Friday and I didn’t know. Gavin is managing most of his life and all his supports work directly with him and I’m largely out of the loop. Gavin forgets to tell me things he’s supposed to and so I’m often learning about things at the last minute.
I know how frustrating the autism parenting journey can be but don’t let that frustration blind you to any of the victories along the way.
That’s a whole other topic for another day but we’ll get to that.
I had to move my schedule around this week in order to drive him to work in the morning. His grandparents were kind enough to help get him home in the afternoon cause I had to work.
I was dropping Gavin off at work on Monday morning and I was feeling frustrated that I had to do that. I was even more frustrated because I found out about this at the last minute and I wasn’t kept in the loop like I was supposed to be.
Why am I sharing this with you and what does this have to do with today’s gentle parenting reminder?
The reason I’m sharing this is because I was so frustrated because of how this whole thing happened and how easily it could have been avoided. That frustration almost caused me to miss the most amazing victory I was witnessing in that moment.
I was so frustrated that I failed to see the massive victory I unfolding right before my eyes. As I watched him walking across the parking lot, it hit me like a freight train. I was upset over dropping my son off at work. The same son that was never supposed to be able to do anything like this. I almost missed the fact that I was witnessing something truly remarkable. My son had a job and I was dropping him off at work, where he’s doing incredibly well and building a life for himself.
I had to drive him to work a couple more times after that but it was a totally different experience for me. I’m so proud of Gavin and everything he’s accomplished. I was reminded in a not so gentle way, that I needed to pause for a moment and gain perspective. I became really emotional when I realized what I was witnessing and how I almost missed it because I was too busy being lost in frustration.
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This content was originally published here.