04/02/2026
Today is World Autism Awareness Day 🩵 & I just wanna brag on my son! Reid is unapologetically himself. He thinks in ways that blow my mind. He is brave and fearless. Confident, marches to the beat of his own drum, and doesn’t notice if people think he’s different. He just keeps being himself!
He has an incredible memory, loves deep & is brilliant. We’ve stopped to watch more ceiling fans than we ever cared to haha (our version of stopping to smell the roses 😂) He remembers when people are sick & will ask them how they’re doing (even weeks later) He LOVES Paw Patrol, reading books, and quoting them into his daily vocabulary. He’s a HUGE helper around the house, knew how to count to 20 & his ABCs by age 2, and has memorized more books than I can count.
When he was first diagnosed, it felt scary. But the farther along we go on this journey, the more I’ve come to believe that what’s scariest is the unknown. The more we actually live it & use the resources available to us, the more empowering it feels & the more Reid thrives. Having an incredible village of people around us, both near and far, who pray for & love Reid unconditionally is the greatest gift of all. 🙏🏼🤍
& now for my soap box 🤪… Autism is not a cookie cutter diagnosis. Not all disabilities are visible. People with autism may think, communicate & experience the world differently, but different doesn’t mean wrong, weird, or scary. Just different. The parent whose child is melting down, or who needs a little more grace in a public setting - may not mean they “don’t have control of their kid.” You probably don’t know the half of what they’re carrying, and assuming the best & choosing not to judge goes a long way. 😉
Reid has had to overcome a lot in his young life & there will be more to face in the future, but he does it with an innocent light in his eyes & a courageous curiosity that I wanna bottle up and protect in him forever.
He’s changed the way I see the world just by letting me watch him experience it himself. He is exactly who God made him to be & I’m so grateful he’s ours. 🩵♾️
