It's not always surly old men...

I recently posted on our Facebook page about an elderly man making a comment about my screaming, autistic toddlers in the waiting room for occupational/physical therapy, and how they "just need a good spanking" - and it drew the attention of several other autism pages, such as my good friend the Honey Badger, who even whipped up a meme: 

However, that was ONE encounter at therapy...the rest have been pretty positive. I'd like to take a moment to express my gratitude with an open letter to those who have given us smiles, encouragement and even help along the way!

Dear Therapy Waiting Room Friends:

I know you don't know our name or our story, but you see us every week like clockwork. You smile at my beautiful boys and their odd vocal stims and boundless energy, and for that, I thank you. 

To the gentleman who recognized that my boys were special, because you have your own special "little" guy, thank you for seeing my boys and offering your words of wisdom as a 40-year veteran special needs parent. Thank you for your kind words, encouraging me to keep doing what I'm doing. Thank you for not flinching when one of the boys, wet hand and all, came up to you and tried to climb into your lap. Your smiles and non-invasive questions were a nice reprieve from the "crotchety old men" I usually run into when we're out and about, you know the ones who just think the kids need a good spanking because that's what they did with their kids, and they obviously turned out perfectly. Thank you for "getting it" and not being afraid to speak up and interact with us. 

To the lady who knew me when I was the boys' age, and who extended her help without me ever asking, thank you. Thank you for chasing Gage when he ran out the front doors and into the parking lot, for keeping him safe from the oncoming car, because you saw I was chasing Gamble in the opposite direction. Thank you for holding Gage when he climbed into your lap. 

To the mama of the little boy who really wanted to talk with my boys, thank you for helping me understand what your son was saying when I was at a loss, and having such a good attitude about it when I looked to you for translation. Thank you for not just telling your son to leave us alone, my boys need social interactions and we'll take them where we can get them. Thank you for teaching your son good manners, and reminding him that sometimes people need a little help - it was sweet to see him offering Gage help when he dropped a toy, or pulling a door closed before Gage could get through it. 

To the other mamas, thank you for all of your understanding smiles, the "been there" sympathy, the "you'll get there" reminders and the patience for the running, jumping and vocal stimming. 

To the front desk staff, thank you for not getting annoyed with the boys grabbing everything off of your desks, running through your space and generally being loud. Thank you for understanding when we're late, or when we're early and you have to listen to the meltdown over waiting. Thank you for allowing me to shut every door in the waiting room so that the boys aren't running rampant through your offices, and for letting us reschedule at the last minute when the twins are still sleeping at 9:30 am. 

To the boys' therapists - there aren't enough words to thank you for your endless patience with them, for the work you're doing with them, or for the progress we've made thanks in large part to you! Thank you for understanding and being interested in what goes on in our lives. We're lucky to have had two of you as our therapists since the beginning, and happy to have added Miss E to our team this summer. It's truly been a blessing for me to be able to attend their therapy sessions with them, because now we do more of it at home, too, reinforcing what they've learned because I've *seen* them working on it firsthand.

As you can see - we've had a lot of really great experiences with therapy, the boys love going and are typically pretty cooperative, if a little 'spacey' or off in their own little worlds. Sometimes they still need reminders to use their gentle hands, or to stay in their spaces, but they worked themselves into the therapy groove pretty easily, and for that I'm extremely grateful.