“We said goodbye to the iPad.
Two weeks ago, my son tossed the iPad down a flight of stairs.
That’s nothing new for an autism family, but after we survived the rest of that miserable day, I wondered if we could do it.
Give it up completely.
The next morning his unusually happy self woke up his brothers and sister, called them by name.
I was even more convinced that this was a path worth traveling.
And we have.
It ain’t been easy.
We’ve spent a tremendous amount of time in the swing.
We took a big trip to Barnes and Noble for a collection of his favorite books.
We even got some PJ Mask toys from Walmart.
In eight years, I have never bought toys except for legos and even a tediously superglued model has never lasted more than ten minutes in his presence.
(Hence, the fateful ending of the most recent iPad.)
He was not just showing an interest in playing with toys and reading more of books, but willingly going on outings.
Boat rides and trips to the dollar general, running errands. And this weekend?
Sunday school and big church with his mama.
We haven’t been able to do that since he was a non-walker.
He wasn’t perfect, but we let that go a long time ago.
A few dropped prayer books and loud whispers are small potatoes to our family.
We have found a new normal and I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around the many changes that have completely caught me off guard.
I thought I knew him so well and yet, I didn’t know a dumb old device was keeping him shut away from the world.
It’s been tiring, thrilling, amazing, and a change that occupies far more of Mommy’s time.
Less working and more Amos.
But, it’s fun.
He is fun.
Even his teacher said, ‘He took a friend’s hand and led them to the carpet. He’s NEVER done that before.’
And tonight, after he bossed me, he said hello to his brother and his friends.
The child who has never noticed a new person in the room says hey to every person he happens to encounter.
It’s the damndest thing, and I’m so proud.
Especially of him.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Adrian Wood. You can follow her journey on Facebook. Submit your own story here and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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