Thankful, sad, hopeful

Today, I went to the kids' Christmas party at school. There are 9 children in the AM class with them. Me & one other lady showed up. I guess I do make up 1/3 of the class though.

The kids were adorable. All of them sang songs & opened a present. We were supposed to get a book & the kids would then exchange. Then they iced cookies & ate them. It really was fun to watch them & see how they interact with their classmates.

However, I can't stop thinking about one little boy. He's autistic. I've never seen an autistic child, that I know of. I use to wonder about Jonah being autistic. I was a scared mama & I didn't know enough information about autism. I know there are ladies who frequent the multiples forum that I go to, who have autistic children. I've seen videos before. I know Jonah isn't autistic. He has sensory integration.

But this little boy broke my heart in two. As I type this, I cry. While the others were playing & singing & opening up gifts, he stood in the corner. When they sat down at their big table to decorate cookies, he sat in a high chair. They gave him shaving cream to play with & he rubbed it all over himself. If you don't know about autism & sensory type issues, shaving cream is a big thing. Something about the texture can soothe a child. This boy was obviously being soothed by it. He finally got to open his book. None of the other kids, including my children, watched. They were decorating their cookies. Alone, he opened his book. I watched him & one of the aids watched him. He threw it across the floor. I picked it up & talked to him for a few minutes about it. He didn't make eye contact & when I put it back on his tray, he threw it again. I took his picture because I had taken my camera. I don't want this little boy to be left out.

So, I am thankful that my children don't suffer from this. As a mother, I can't imagine what parents lives are like with autistic children. I'm hopeful that schools, teachers, peers, everyone will become more educated on autism & learn the ways to make life easier & more common for those who do suffer from it.