The Welcoming Home
As much as possible, I think it is important to be the welcoming home. Your house doesn’t have to be the fanciest or the coolest, but it should be a place your kids feel comfortable to invite their friends. In Mikey’s case, we tried to be a home where Mikey’s friends felt comfortable to invite themselves (since playdate invitations are beyond Mikey’s abilities).
My Fiesta Birthday Party
We didn’t spend a lot of money on this party. My mom got me a pinata and some Mexican themed decorations at the party store. We had snacks and dinner and birthday cake. We danced and had a blast! We all slept over in the living room, and although my mom put all the furniture out on our enclosed porch, we still had to squeeze in to make room for everyone’s sleeping bags.
My house growing up was the welcoming house. My mom always had enough food for everyone (or she would order a pizza). She’d hang out with us, or she’d let us hang on our own. My memories of having kids at my house are happy ones and I’m glad my mom was so welcoming.
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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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