They told me a long list of “she’ll nevers.” They wrote it all down then tried to convince me I could not raise her on my own. I don’t need to revisit the reasons why as I’ve covered it all in “Fight When You Know You’re Right” when I spent four days in tears feeling overwhelmed by emotions I did not understand – until today.

Today I do not cry. Today my feelings are more collected, calmer, settled in knowing I did all that I could to fight for her rights.  Today I sit in awe of the child I have had the distinct privilege to raise but not on my own. I have recruited and received the support of other moms raising children on the spectrum; not just other moms but other warriors for knowledge fighting for acceptance for our children.

I have spent the past most difficult two and a half months of my life, and if you know anything about my “life” you know that’s a heavy statement; I even question if I’m exaggerating.  But, no, it’s been tough.

I found an article about a study that found that the stress of raising a child on the spectrum is likened to that of someone who's served in a war zone.

"Mothers of adolescents and adults with autism experience chronic stress comparable to combat soldiers and struggle with frequent fatigue and work interruptions..."

What the study did not cover was mothers with three children on the spectrum who are single and raising those three alone. Let's just go with the presumption that my stress levels are high.