Dear Tommy,
When you got older, I noticed you weren't speaking like the other kids were. But I knew you were smart. You understood everything I asked you to do. You would spell words like 'vacuum' at the age of two. Soon after we discovered you had autism. You started speech and occupational therapy. Words started to form. You still had your quirks like walking back and forth, back and forth as you stared at a wall from the corner of your eye. I'd later learn this was called stimming.
Now you are a teenager and I am amazed at you every day. You're in a world that too noisy. Too bright. Confusing. And yet you cope.
Sometimes it's difficult to get you to open up to me. When I ask how your day is, you'll grunt a response. Sometimes I won't find out you've had a difficult day until I find a wadded up tissue at the bottom of your backpack. I know you don't like to cry in public, but sometimes high school gets overwhelming. You don't like when schedules change at the last minute. It's tough when students get rambunctious. You are all about the rules and don't understand when people break them.
There are times when you'll speak to me. Normally it is when I offer food.
You enjoyed Yoplait Go Big and said the flavors were nice. You appreciated that the large grip & rip pouches were big because you have a large appetite these days. I appreciated the fact that they contain real fruit, had no artificial colors, or high fructose corn syrup.
I'm proud of you, Tommy. I am proud to be your mother. I will always be here for you. I will always be here to talk.
Because you amaze me every single day.
I love you,
Mom
I also read the letter to my teenager so he knew exactly how special he is to me:
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Do you think your teenager is amazing? You can win the spotlight for your teen by going to the Go Big Facebook page where you can share how your teen inspires you. As you see, my teen inspires me by coping with life even with autism. Go Big will select three teens with inspiring stories and give them a platform to share with the world. How fantastic! For more information and contest rules, check out the Go Big Facebook page.
Will you be buying Yoplait Go Big for your teen? You can find them at Target, Walmart, and most grocery stores.
He's so awesome!! I know you're proud of him!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And yes, I am. He's fantastic :)
DeleteWhat a sweet letter to Tommy, he's one awesome guy!!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing son you have. A strong boy with a beautiful smile. I had my first child, my son in June last year and I am always worried about him and all I want is for him to be healthy and happy. I think you have done a great job with yours and the whole world should know how proud of him you are and how amazing he is! This really brought tears to my eyes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tears this morning Amber! Sheesh! What an amazing son you have and he's pretty lucky to have an amazing mom!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, this is very beautiful and inspiring (please I don't wanna cry, hahaha). Your young man deserves to GO BIG and AIM HIGH! Let him enjoy the perks of this beautiful world, and bring smile to his friends and family :D
ReplyDeleteFor Urban Women
What a beautiful letter, what an inspiration Tommy is! ☺️
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteLove how you focused on the accomplishments and great person your son is, instead of dwelling on the negative. Nice to hear someone say nice things about their teenager.
ReplyDeleteThank you! He is pretty awesome.
DeleteMy teenager is an amazing young lady.
ReplyDeleteHow awesome :)
DeletePlease excuse me as I wipe away tears as I'm sitting in my college lecture. This is why I shouldn't be commenting and reading during class!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you.
DeleteSo sweet!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteVery inspirational post! Made me both tear up and smile at the same time! This is a beautiful letter to your son!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteHave you read the poem, "Welcome to Holland"?
ReplyDeleteIt's something I like to share with all the parents I work with. It makes me tear up every time. You are a great mama and your son is so lucky to have you. But you are so lucky to have him as well!
I haven't, but I will check it out!
DeleteThis is so sweet. Growing up is hard these days, it looks your son is doing well. Best of luck to him!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm sure he'll do great.
DeleteYou son is such a inspiration!! And you are a Aweome MOM!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post. He sounds like a very special kid - with a very special mother.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet letter to your amazing son! It sounds like you two have a wonderful bond and special relationship. Great job, mom!
ReplyDeleteMy hubby and I have had fosters with autism live with us and this is so nice. I agree 100%
ReplyDeleteJust gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I want these for ME!!!!!
Such a personal and emotional post. He's awesome, i'm sure he'll grow up to be a great person :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an endearing post! You 2 are beautiful! My son has Asperger's. He's now 29 years old.
ReplyDeleteThank you! How is your son doing?
DeleteThis is so moving. I have friends with children that have autism and from observations I understand somewhat your letter. Thanks for posting this moving article.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful piece of writing! And am sure Tommy would be so proud to have you as his mother!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful letter! It can't be easy on any of you, but you've chosen to choose love and it shows!
ReplyDeleteAll the feels. <3 <3
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a handsome and beautiful young man you've raised! That SMILE!!
ReplyDeleteJust so precious!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely letter to your son! It sounds like he's a great kid
ReplyDeleteVery touching and heart warming letter!
ReplyDeleteTouching letter, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteYou're such a loving and supportive mother and I am so sure your son is so thankful to have you! Such an inspiring story
ReplyDeleteTouching, great mom.
ReplyDeleteTouching, great mom.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lucky boy to have you as a mom :)
ReplyDeleteSo sweet. I can't imagine the challenges you face as a family. What a great idea for a Facebook Page.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sweet
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful and emotional post <3 you have a wonderful son
ReplyDeleteWhat a awesome post this is so amazing and so are y'all
ReplyDeleteVery touching post ! Thank you for sharing it with us
ReplyDeleteThis is a very heart-warming post about how your son really does amaze you. Our children are the why for everything we do.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspirational post! Your love and sensitivity for your son is evident and it's clear he knows it from the beautiful photos you've shared. And what a great idea from Yoplait. During times when there's so much negativity and bullying for teens, having an inspirational page is spot on. Thanks for sharing, inspiring others and spreading the word about Yoplait's terrific program.
ReplyDeleteEach and every child is unique and I'm glad that you are using your sons uniqueness as a positive message! Best of luck, hope and happiness to you and your son!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful letter to your son! Our children are all unique with their own special gifts. Tommy's lucky to have you for a Mom!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post about your boy!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post! Great job, mama!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome so you have! You must be so proud of his courage.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely letter to an amazing son that you have!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet letter! You can tell his mama absolutely loves him.
ReplyDeleteThis was very sweet! I could barely keep the waterworks from starting, thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteSondra Barker
PrettyFitFoodie
prettyfitfoodie.com
Whenever you write about Tommy I can totally feel all the love. This was such a sweet letter!!
ReplyDeleteMy kiddos are so happy with Go Big's size, they are serious yogurt heads!!
XOXO
www.mrsaokaworkinprogress.com
Its good to see you are encouraging your son to be himself. That must make home life calmer and happier for him. Well his whole life in general really.
ReplyDeleteThat was such a beautiful story. Tommy sounds like a perfect son! You almost made me cry because your story touched my heart! It is hard raising teenagers I have a teenage son too. He is also very quiet and doesn't like to express his feelings when he gets home from school.
ReplyDeleteSuch cute pictures of him. They grow so fast, isn't it? Lovely letter.
ReplyDeleteSorry that last comment was mine.
ReplyDeleteAnvita |www.thebellyrulesthemind.net
Wow that is a very inspiring letter.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lucky boy he is to have a mommy like you!
ReplyDeleteHe sounds like an amazing young man and you should definitely be proud! I love that he's very tough for his age and he has such a loving heart too.
ReplyDeleteYour son is amazing because of you! You are a great mom and it shows in the way you raised Tommy! His story is so heartwarming. He is an inspiration to many.
ReplyDeleteThis letter was so sweet. There is nothing like that proud feeling you get over your kids.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful post, wonderfully written to express the feelings & thoughts of a mother's journey with an Autism kid. Tommy must be really proud enough to have one such mom with full of love & care anytime!
ReplyDeleteI like the variation with the color decoration.The mentioned six colors look so beautiful and creative enough to many of the people.There are many ways for the development of this community where the people can select the right colors in the future trends.They should review of the best essay writers and the other methods should be available for learning more details.
ReplyDelete