The Last Mile

The Last Mile

I’m in a bit of snit at the moment. You see, my kids are included in school . They are both mildly autistic but can get by fine with a little support (ie, my older son needs a little help still with social interactions, but after an exchange or two, he actually does fine.

So okay, I move mountains to make sure they are included and welcome wherever we go. For the most part, I am successful.

But there are days when I never see the wall and am literally gobsmacked when I hit it. Yesterday was one of those days.

I practically share a driveway with Perky, my perfect next door neighbor with her perfect NT kids. Apparently she had a party last night (outdoor) wherein she invited every kid in the neighborhood. Except mine.

My kids would not have been any the wiser except for the fact that when I was trying to get them to bed, there was a lot of screaming and carrying on right outside their bedroom windows. Yes. we are out here having fun and YOU AREN'T. I understand their right to have a party and to invite whomever you want, but....I'm thinking with a little heads up, I could have made sure my kids were elsewhere.

But as it was, we were here. And this is where buy-in from the community is still lacking. My kids are treated as if they have a communicable disease, not a neurological disorder. With all the autism awareness campaigns that abound, it is amazing that ignorance persists.

But it does. It does.