"It's ok Mom," This should be the first assurance that Kathy Hooven should have heard when she found out her son on the autism spectrum is going to the school dance for the first time. Instead, she was more nervous for her son than the kid ever was.
Kathy Hooven is a mom of a child on the autism spectrum, she is also a contributor for The Mighty and she shared her story about what her son taught her when he was going to the school dance.
According to Hooven, she is as neurotypical as she can get but it seems to her that she was still so naïve. She prides herself upon being an autism advocate, even educating other people what it's like being on the spectrum and loving and accepting people with autism.
However, one of the greatest scare of her life was when her son Ryan, decided to go to the dance without a date. It was a graduation dance and being a mom who feels that her kid will never be part of the naturalized neurotypical world, is a predicament.
She explained how her heart was racing all day. She wonders if anyone will even talk to her son, or if he is going to spend the night alone. Even her husband assured her that she needed to give her boy some space. She even sent a friend his photo with the words, "His alone is not my alone."
When her son got out of the car and went into the dance, she went to watch him all smiling and giving other kids a high five. That was a sight to behold which relieved her of her anxiety and then she began to feel fine. Until it wasn't anymore.
He came home, hugged his mom. She didn't tell all the details about it, but then she realized how her son taught her a lesson on his autism condition. Bottom line, just like everyone else, "Alone is alone. Lonely is lonely and Heartache is heartache."
They are like us, wanting to be accepted, wanting to be loved, wanting to be included.
