A 10-Year-Old Autistic Boy Is Teaching the World Self-Acceptance

I LOVE when children become the teachers for humanity. “Out of the mouths of babes” is so dang true.

This article made it’s way to me and I am super excited to share it with you! This kid totally gets it and that’s the thing about living this life with these kids . . . most of these kids with these labels of “high-functioning autism” or “Asperger’s Syndrome” understand that they are different. They know they don’t “get it” in the social arena. I’m not sure they actually understand what they don’t “get,” but they know something is just not right.

Please take the time to read his poem in this article from The Huffington Post titled 10-Year-Old Boy’s Moving Poem Gives A Glimpse At Life With Autism.

He writes several times in his poem:

I am odd, I am new.

Which brings me to my new, odd shoes . . . My dear friend who knows me and loves me just as I am gave me this pair of rockin’ awesome unicorn shoes as a birthday gift. I have never had too much issue with appearance or being concerned about external judgment and I feel incredibly fortunate with this super power really. I’m an odd-bird, unique, extraordinary. And I will wear these shoes probably until the soles fall off and I have to duct tape them back together and draw my own unicorn with Sharpee. Cuz that is the length I will go to be a badass who wears unicorn shoes.

And just to be clear, these kids often fall pretty close to the tree from whence they came (insert smug smile here).

What’s your point, Mica?

I want to highlight that just as the boy who wrote this poem, Michael totally gets it. He gets that he is different, odd, new, more intelligent than most, unable to read cues for when to stop, confused by emotional interactions, etc. . . . He doesn’t struggle as much as he used to, but it will most definitely continue to play a role throughout his entire life.

Guess who else gets it though? Cameron does. Jack probably gets it as well. And Chris, he totally gets it. Those of us who love these kids, we get it too. We see the stares, we see the sneers, the judgment, boy oh boy, do we see judgment (cuz we suck as parents don’t you know?–kidding–that’s what the other people are thinking (eyeroll)).

My advice for this story, which was inspired by this beautiful 10-year-old’s poem, is to suggest that we all stop trying to be normal. For real, it’s probably not working anyway.

We’re not normal and quite frankly, it usually doesn’t work for us anyway. We’re not that, so what are we?

We are ourselves. We are who we are.

We are amazing!

We are gorgeous!

We are lovable!

We are inspiring!

We are helpful!

We are dedicated!

We are diligent!

We are proud!

We are humble!

We are kind!

We freak out from time to time!

We are incredible human beings that continue to be who we are and continue to cherish our children as they are.

And THAT, my dear friends, is where it’s at.

That’s how I define the gold ring. Self-acceptance is something incredibly worthy to strive for. When we accept ourselves, we can teach our children to do the same. Yes.

Here’s to your amazingness,

Mica

Want to go out on a limb today? Meet me on Facebook and share three things that are wonderfully odd about who you are!

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