I’m home with Courtney today. She woke up at 3 a.m. Her period started yesterday, and now she has the cold I just got over. In the midst of exhaustion, I made the decision that we both needed a day off. So here we are, just chilling.

I sit here, looking around at my house—cluttered and desperately in need of a spring cleaning that probably requires a dumpster. My computer sits beside me, reminding me I should be working on end-of-year progress reports, an IEP, or even studying for the BCBA exam I’ll be taking for the second time in June. But instead, I just sit.

Then I remembered—it’s the end of April. The end of Autism Awareness and/or Acceptance Month (whatever you want to call it). Maybe instead of crossing off items on that never-ending to-do list, I should blog. But I’m not finding this task any easier than the others.

What do I have to say about autism these days? Especially now that it’s suddenly a hot political topic? Nope… not going “there”.

Life has been hard lately. Really hard. I’m not even sure “survival mode” begins to cover it. Sure, we’re all healthy and happy, and that’s the most important thing. But the chaos of the past several months has left me emotionally, physically, and mentally drained. I go through each day on autopilot. A year-long legal battle. Trialing medications. Navigating the uncharted waters of a pre-teen with autism starting her period. OCD. Anxiety. Initial IEP. Re-evaluation. Sleepless nights. Therapies. Activities. The list goes on. Illnesses. Just when it feels like we’ve overcome one thing, something else hits.

Ok, so maybe I will go “there”. I’ll answer the question so many parents like me are feeling the need to answer right now:

Is having children with autism a tragedy? Is autism destroying our family?

Some might read what I’ve written and assume the answer is yes. But here’s the truth: Having children with autism is hard. Very hard. But is it a tragedy? In my opinion, absolutely not.

And in case you don’t know our story—both of my girls have autism. One is considered as having profound autism.

Is it destroying our family? No. Does it make daily functioning incredibly difficult at times? Yes.

Do families like mine need help? Absolutely.

And that’s the message I want to end Autism Acceptance Month with: We’re not looking for pity. We’re not asking anyone to see our lives as tragic. We’re asking for understanding, for support, and for a world that sees our kids for who they are—worthy, valuable, and deserving of everything good life has to offer.