My son graduated high school.
My son is going to college.
Never ever say never. Not to me, not to my kids.
I am bursting with pride.
My boy hasn’t had an easy path. Things that other kids grasp with ease have been a struggle for mine.
When he was a toddler, speech didn’t come easily. For so long he would only say one-word sentences. Then he would only repeat sentences from his favorite shows or songs.
Eventually he caught on. Still, his conversation was just a bit too scripted, his smile just a bit too big for the other kids to embrace him. But he didn’t notice, didn’t care.
It wasn’t until high school when my son realized he was a little different. Teenagers can be cruel. Not my kid, or course. But others noticed he was a bit awkward, a bit naive. And they exploited that.
That was when I explained he had Asperger’s. There is nothing wrong with being different, I told him.
Still, he wanted help. He wanted friends. So he began social skills training. He learned about eye contact and interaction. Conversations and friendships.
And before long, he found himself. He made a great group of friends, kids who embraced their uniqueness and didn’t judge. He grew confident and learned to love himself.
He got his driver’s license, a year later than others, after he learned to manage his anxiety and believe in himself.
In class, I made sure he got extra help to deal with his unique needs. He got smaller classes. Special teachers. He sat at the front to help with his attention issues. He spent a lot of time in the school’s tutor center.
What he didn’t get from the school district, he got from his mama. We read his English books together. We made practice tests and flash cards.
And he graduated.
I had no expectations for college. But he wanted to go. Four-year college was too much of an adjustment so we applied to the local community college, and he was accepted into an amazing program for kids with special needs.
We will take it day by day.
Over the next two years he will figure out his path. It may be music, it may be something else.
He is an incredible musician and he loves his craft. He loves to play his guitar. He knows everything about his favorite bands— the names and lyrics of the songs, the years they were released, the names of all the band members.
When he’s on stage, he is captivating. His love and passion and skill is obvious.
So he will start college focusing on his passion. I have no doubt he will make something wonderful of himself.
He already is a star.
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