http://susansenator.com/blog/2010/11/the-dignity-of-risk/
An amazing post about a Mom, her 21 year old son with Autism and personal dignity. I especially like this quote:
" If Nat is to become as independent a man as possible, he must be allowed to do what he needs to do, even if it is a little scary, not completely predictable. "
How true. I know how this Mom is feeling, because as my son (now 11) grows older, I am beginning to navigate this uncertain road. We began this journey a few years ago, at the age of 7 by allowing him in the men's locker room independently. The same for the restrooms.
We also started letting him play alone outside, with the rules and boundaries clearly explained. I even role played certain situations (What do you do if you're ball rolls in the street? If a car pulls in the driveway? Our neighbor's dog gets loose? Etc etc).
Last year, we began allowing him to stay home alone for short periods - making sure he knew how to reach us on his sister's cell phone, what to do if someone knocked on the door and what he could/could not do in the house.
Now, he is learning to babysit his sister for short periods - when I have to run to the store or if my oldest is on the late bus from school and I'm at work.
What will come next? I'm not sure. As he grows older and becomes a teenager, I expect he will let us know. Watching him and my oldest approach their teenage years, I can't help but compare the two. In all honesty...its my neuro-typical oldest daughter that is giving me the most stress!!! :-)
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