My Little Beauty Queen

Lately, my little girl has turned into very girly girl.  She has started to want her fingernails and toenails painted, she loves to put on my lipstick, and the other day she asked for some eyeshadow and then she actually stood still for me to apply it.

For most mothers, all of this is no big deal.  But any mother of a child with autism will understand that this is HUGE!  A child with autism doesn't interact socially the same way as normally developing children.  It's kind of like they are in their own little world.  Sometimes they will let others in, but usually, everyone around them is just in the background until they need something from them.  Even then, it is difficult to understand what the need is because the communication can be so limited.

Being a stay at home mom of a child with autism can be exhausting.  Especially when you sometimes feel that no one else understands.  When I don't have the house clean or dinner on the table,  my husband probably thinks, "what does she do all day?".    What I spend most of the day doing is waiting.  Waiting for her to answer my questions.  Waiting for her to tell me what she wants to eat, then insisting that she "ask" for what she wants instead of just shouting "Chicken nuggets"  across the room.  Waiting for the tantrum she is having because her little brother got in her personal space to be over.  I do a lot of waiting.

I also wait to see what she will do next.  Things that normal moms take for granted, I cherish when they occur.  I love that she is wanting to be more like her mommy.  Every day is a new adventure.  Those of you with normal children, rejoice in the fact that they talk your ears off and want to play dress up by changing clothes twenty times in a day.  When they ask why, don't be frustrated that they ask it about every little thing.  Enjoy the fact that they want to know how their little world works.  My daughter has never asked why about anything.  I look forward to the day when she gets on my nerves because she is talking too much or asking too many questions.  I cherish what most people consider the little things in life, because those little things are pretty big things for us.