The truth, however, could be seen with much less happiness. It is true that my mom had to fight and cry with teachers and professionals, neighbors and parents, even her own family (when I was molested by her third husband, my grandma suggested mom send me away). My mom has been living on her own and fighting for fairness since she was fifteen, and when she became the adopted parent of four autistic boys and eventually two homeless teenage girls the majority of the world chose to see her as controlling, manipulative, a giver of false hopes (because she believed in my brothers' ability to learn), vain (because she's pretty), and even crazy.
When others couldn't handle my brothers, their own lives or even their own kids, they would hand them over to my mom and then want to see her as 'bad' because she could do it, and they couldn't. These are a small number of the ingredients that are part of our family's recipe. My mom ALWAYS remembered to add love, laughter, life lessons, an unfaltering belief that we could meet the challenges presented to us, and an intense sense of fairness and kindness. These ingredients were festive and bright colored. They added emotional stability and nourishment.
They are the reason I share our truth, and quite possibly your truth, with quirky posts or tree-hugging-lover-of-all- humanity rose colored glasses.
The way I see it, if I'm going to serve my guests breakfast, it's best to put pumpkins in the pancakes!
Hugs, smiles, and love!!!
Autism Answers with Tsara Shelton (Facebook)
