How to survive as a parent w/ a child of Autism Day 4 - when people offer advice, don't kill them
*This post is part of an Autism Awareness Month series. If you would like read more like this, Click Here.
If it is true that it takes a village to raise a child then to raise a child with a Autism, it takes a village filled with a careful balance of crack-team scientists, nutrition experts, speech language pathologist, plus occupational/behavior/physical therapists.Not on the list of village members: friends and family who are unwilling to ever learn anything about your child's autism or what you and your family are going through. This won't, however, stop any of them from offering up some condescending oversimplified advice and when they do, I welcome it like a punch in my face and quickly want to reciprocate.
http://www.chaseroper.com/2010/04/how-to-survive-as-parent-w-child-of_09.html
- Category: Family, Comedy, Health & Fitness, Humor, Parenting
- Planted: 12th Apr
- Buzzed: 1 time in 1 year 43 weeks
- Invites: 1 member is inviting Guest Posts on this seed
The Art of Listening
A familiar quote says that God created us with two ears and one mouth for a reason - so we would listen two times more than we speak. The previous post mentioned how important it was to listen to other family members, and counsel with experts when needed by asking for second opinions and or seeking family counseling with social workers or clergy. I have found this is sound advice in every situation. When a friend or family member needs to talk, resist the urge to give advice right away and just listen. Ask questions, and really try to understand the answer.
. . . . Also actively listening to what led up to the current situation, and surrounding it helps. I can't live in the patient's, the parent's or family's shoes. There is no way that a diagnosis manifests the same from one situation to the next, or that any one family learns exactly like another, or that any person reacts the same as another, or even sometimes the same person reacts the same way from one time to the next.
http://margaretturley.com/the-art-of-listening.htm
