Autism Through My Eyes(Real Talk From A Dad Who Lives It Every Day)

MY BIGGEST FEAR AS A DAD

• Season 2 • Episode 12

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0:00 | 2:08

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As the father of a 22-year-old son with autism, there's one question that still keeps me awake at night. In this video, I share a side of autism parenting that many parents understand but rarely talk about.

💙 From one autism dad to another family walking this journey you are not alone.

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Let's talk about what keeps autism parents up at night. It's probably not what most people think. It's not always meltdowns. It's not the appointments. It's not even the daily challenges. For many of us, it's the future. And if you're an autism parent, you know exactly what I mean. My son is 22 years old and has autism. And even after all these years, there are still nights when I lie awake thinking, what will his future look like? Will he be okay? Will he have the support that he needs? Will people understand him the way I do? See, those things never completely go away. They just change as our children get older. When my son was younger, I worried about school. I worried about making friends. I worried about meltdowns. Now I worry about adulthood. I worry about independence. I worry about safety. I worry about opportunities. And if I'm being honest, I worry about what happens when I'm no longer here. That's probably the hardest conversation autism parents have with themselves. Not because we're negative, not because we lack faith, but because we love our children so much. The thing most people don't see is the emotional weight autism parents carry. We spend years becoming experts on our children. We know what makes them smile. We know what frustrates them. We know their strengths. We know their struggles. And because we love them so deeply, we're always thinking ahead, always planning, always hoping, always praying. But here's what I've learned. I can't spend so much time worrying about tomorrow that I miss today. Today, my son is here. Today I can love him. Today I can encourage him. Today I can make memories with him. And that's what I'm choosing to focus on. Because what your child needs most isn't a perfect parent, they need you.