Blog from the Middle Spectrum # 4
“Days of Plenty”
When my mom found out I was autistic, her life changed forever. She was relieved that she finally had a name to give my behavior, but at the same time, scared. She didn't know if I would ever talk, or be able to live on my own. But she was going to raise me and love me, no matter what. She was going to not feel sorry for me, or for herself, and do what she could to help me.
Parents sometime get stuck in the 'oh my lord my child is disabled' thing. They think that since their child is autistic or of the Middle Spectrum, then they don't have to work as hard or don't have the ability to live normally in the first place. That’s not true. You can either set up your child for failure or success. It’s all in how you think and how you work with what you’re given. My mom was positive and patient with me. She thought of my autisim as a place to start, a place to begin my treatment. She was afraid, but she didn’t show it.
Parents, you cannot give up on your child if they have autisim or are of the Middle Spectrum. You can’t say, “Well since they have this so and so disability, they won’t be able to succeed.” This is my wake up call to all you parents who are doing this. Get out of your own self-pity and work with your child, their teachers, their doctors. You can get through this, and your child will live up to the best of his or her abilities. I promise. If you try your child will try.
A few days ago I was in musical auditions for “Little Women” at my high school, and we were learning an excerpt from the song “Days of Plenty”. We began singing it, and tears came to my eyes. In the show Jo, one of the sisters, is asking her mother why she doesn’t seem to be grieving over their sister, Beth’s death. The mother turns to her, and the song is her reply.
But reading the lyrics, I figured out the song was not sad. It was a song of hope, a song of meaning. The words made me think of my mother, who is a pillar of strength for my family and me. This song finally made me realize and think about how she must’ve felt when she found out I was autistic. The first lyrics are, “But I refuse to feel tragic. I am aching for more than pain and grief. There has got to be meaning, most of all when a life has been so brief. I have got to learn something, how can I give her any less?” This describes how my mother is to a T. She never, ever felt tragic for my plight and never felt sorry for her or myself. She just wanted to love me, and give me the best of everything. The lyrics I learned continues, “I want life, to go on. I want days of plenty. You have to believe, there is reason for hope.”
That’s all of the song I learned, but it was enough to make me understand how my mother felt. I got up in front for auditions, and I sang with all my power and emotion. I stepped into my mother’s shoes, and I tried to tap into how she felt.
Below are the lyrics I sang, and a link to the song. If you want to listen, please do, and leave a comment. My lesson to all of you parents is to NOT give up on your child, ever. You never know what they can accomplish, as long as you believe in them. Please, believe in your child.
My mother believed in me, and look where I am now.
My excerpt of Days of Plenty
But I refused to feel tragic,
I am aching for more than pain and grief.
There has got to be meaning,
Most of all when a life has been so brief.
I have got to learn something,
How can I give her any less?
I want life to go on.
I want Days of Plenty
You have to Believe,
There is reason for Hope.
Link to Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLRSW4QqMJA
