115. Judgment and Parent Shaming

We harbor so many unspoken fears, anxiety, and often hopelessness
not to mention wanting to be the perfect parent to our child and
then the guilt that comes along for the ride when we feel like we
are falling short, right? I know, I’ve been there too.  In
this episode, I am going to talk about something that every
single one of us comes up against along this autism parenting
journey and that is judgment from other people.


Autism can’t be seen and sometimes the things that we have to do
for our children who to the unsuspecting public may seem too old
for these things.  Even though 1 in 44 children are
diagnosed autistic, unfortunately, there are still way more
people in the world we live in who don’t know anything about
autism.


I think one of the most important things that you can do for
yourself is to remind yourself that they aren’t intentionally
being rude, they simply don’t understand your child’s behavior or
why you are doing what you are doing or why they are doing what
they are doing.  It's a lack of understanding.  


What I don’t want you to do is let the public’s perception of you
or your child dictate the course of your life.  I want you
to know that you have NOTHING to be embarrassed about. Your child
has autism and while the outside world may not all understand and
may offer too much-unsolicited advice, retreating into your home
and avoiding the public won’t be beneficial for you or your child
and they will never have the opportunity to learn the skill set
they need if you isolate.


As the parent of autistic children, it is important that you hold
your head high and realize that despite having one of the most
challenging jobs in the world, your consistency and diligence to
figure it out day after day, even on the days you think you just
can’t and yet you do, you are becoming a better person every day
because of what your child or children are teaching you along the
way.


All the judgment in the world, the looks, the comments, and the
opinions of other people only affect you if you let them. You
have a choice.


No one knows your situation. No one will ever fully understand
your child’s struggles or the unique dynamics of your family.
They don’t understand your situation and therefore cannot ever
make an informed judgment.


If you want to learn strategies and tools that you can use to
improve your life along this autism parenting journey, becoming
Not Your Average Autism Mom is your answer.
 Is the educational journey overwhelming and confusing for
you?  Our member portal has an array of training and
resources with everything you need to know about Special
Education and you can join LIVE ZOOM calls with an Advocate to
get any of your specific questions answered.  Maybe you are
feeling alone on your journey or maybe you are looking for other
moms to connect with in a PRIVATE community who understand your
day-to-day challenges, be sure that you check out ALL THE
BENEFITS available for you when you BECOME Not Your
Average Autism Mom.


www.notyouraverageautismmom.com 


Additional Resources:


Episode 96. Our Parenting Journey is Different


Episode 74. You Cannot Fix All the Things All the Time