Cracking Up
There have been moments on this parenting journey when I felt I was cracking up in a bad way…I had bent as far as I was able, and I felt ready to break. Each day I tried, and I still try to greet the day with gratitude for our multitude of blessings, but I would be lying if I said that parenting Mikey doesn’t weigh on me. It does.
Now that Will is off on his own, there are times I feel my whole life is just making Mikey’s life okay, and that’s hard for me. It’s hard even though I love him with my whole heart.
And then there are moments like this. Part of Mikey’s personality is that he laughs easily and freely. He can get into a laughing fit, and it is the cutest thing ever! It’s incredibly endearing.
It has been a tough journey parenting this wonderful, complex, challenging human.
And
I adore him and he lights up my days.
If you’re living in the complexity of it all and you are feeling all the feels at once, I see you. There will be more laughter ahead. It may be right around the corner.
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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