Want a Little Challenge?

I am happy to report that things are settling down. For the first time in a long while, I was able visit some of my favorite blogs.  Unfortunately, after an hour of perusing some fresh posts, I'm thoroughly depressed.

Post after post seems to cover the same theme.


Ignorance.

Plus dash of intolerance.

And a pinch of discrimination thrown in for good measure.

And this hits a nerve.

HARD.

Here I sit, struggling every day to manage the needs of my complicated children.   Some days the inside of our home feels more like a battlefield than a place of refuge.  But outside?

Its worse.

Much worse.

As hard as things are for me and my family, I know they are exponentially harder for my complicated kids once they walk out the door.  Every day, they have to face a world that is harsh and unforgiving.

Am I being a bit over dramatic?  I don't think so.

In one sitting, I've read about a teacher not only ignoring an IEP, but physically assaulting a child (Raising Bipolar).  Another tale outlined a child's restraint and subsequent expulsion from school (A Boy with Asperger's). Then there was the story about a self-proclaimed, Christian homeschooler and her apparent disgust over a rude, hand-flapping child that had the audacity to want the computer her children were using (Raising Asperger's Kids).  What was worse were the hoards of fans that cheered her on.  I can't even go into all the stories of bullying, which sadly, are too numerous to list.

Why? Was it because these kids are bad?

That's what many would have you believe.  Over the years, I've listened to the likes of Michael Savage, Dennis Leary and other equally-moronic "celebrities" poke fun at autism and other disabilities. According to these experts, our children are simply the product of over-indulgent parents who have been stupid enough to listen to quick-triggered medical professionals.  If you subscribe to this brand of logic, we are a nation filled with over-diagnosed, undisciplined kids.  Who needs medications and interventions?  Its nothing that a little good old fashioned spanking wouldn't cure.

The more I write, the angrier I get.  I am so tired of the ignorance. That said, I don't fault people for ignorance alone.  What I can't handle is the unwillingness to learn.  Or listen.  Or simply tolerate.

I'm not asking everyone to live our lives.  Many times, its too mind-boggling for me and I live it on a daily basis

I won't ask you to raise my children.  God has given them to me and, frankly, after seeing some of the yahoos out there, I'm very glad he did.

What I do request -- respectfully of course --  is this:  Go easy on the judgment.  Until you walk in my shoes, or that of my kids, don't presume to know what's best for us. And if its just too tempting to spout out some sort of derogatory remark, at least hold it in until you reach your car.

Life is hard.  I know this first hand.  Its also not fair.  But with just a little more knowledge and a lot more understanding, it could be so much better than it is today.

April is Autism Awareness Month.  1 in 91 children will be diagnosed with autism this year alone.  And that means that there's a good chance that someone you know or love will be affected by this condition.  Don't you owe it to them to learn more about it?

Why stop at just autism?  How about depression or bipolar?  Or just those from different cultures? If everyone took these 30 days to learn about someone -- anyone -- different from themselves, we might all might be surprised at what we'd see.

I'm taking the challenge.  Will you?