Life's A Journey – Enjoy the Ride

Nicole Park

A parent's journey – Childhood to youth

In 2008, it was clear to me that if I wanted to ensure my son had as many positive experiences as possible, I needed to make it happen. My community had a great track record of strong parents of children on the autism spectrum who strived to organize resources, provide support for other parents, advocate, solidify community partnerships, and create opportunities for their children. These were the people I would follow. At the time, I didn't know why their society folded; sadly I understand now: they were burnt out.

With one parent, in particular, I wanted to pick her brain. Our sons were much the same, although her son is seven years older than mine. Both of them are moderately-to-severely affected by ASD.

Some days dogs barking really are the best!

For about seven years, I worked hard to ensure that my son, and all children with autism in my community, had opportunitities for new experiences and recreational activities. I opened my home and made myself available for parent support. My initial burnout came when I realized that the opportunities I had worked on and implemented for years were not what my now-adolescent son needed – he was now a (very) young man. Anxiety set in… and to say the very least, I didn't handle it well. I tried many constructive and not-so-constructive ways to move forward and on to what my son needed next. Today I am coming out of the fog of panic, depression and feelings of isolation; my strength is growing. Today I am grateful for my healthy, smart, full-of-personality son who is now almost 14.