I have been confident since he was 2 years old that he would go to college. With a diagnosis of Autism, and many people in our lives (including educators) that were non-believers it would have made sense to have some doubts, but I never doubted that this day would come. Until it did.
When the e-mail came that welcomed him to UC with his first choice of studies I realized for the first time that I had had doubts. Although I always believed Ben had the necessary skills and deserved to go to college, his journey has included many closed doors. When the acceptance letter came, I realized I had been preparing my heart for another closed door. Then one Friday morning I received an e- mail that came with a door that was wide OPEN! We hadn't made any special appointments, he was honest about having Autism in his essay (even described it - more on that in another post) and still he was welcome to attend a well respected, four year university- and I just couldn't stop crying.
So I called my husband, mom, and some friends. E-mailed a couple of very important teachers in his life. Posted on Facebook. And still kept crying.
Then Ben came home from school. I wasn't sure if he would understand how big this was. He knew he was going to go to UC (even if it was the satellite campus) and of course he isn't always good at understanding a situation. So when I told him, he grinned at me, gave me a high five, then asked where we were going to celebrate. So, I cried some more!
We celebrated with dinner and milkshakes at Red Robin, and had an evening with smiles and no more tears!
Life changing transitions have a tendency to make you remember the past. As I think back to when Ben was first diagnosed with Autism I don't think I imagined the young man he is now. There were many behaviors that needed to be modified (including throwing chairs), the closed doors that required detours and a lot of Plan B's. There weren't doubts about where he was headed (I always had faith in his brain) but I didn't imagine how really fine he would grow up to be. He's funny, has people he cares about, friends that care about him, and a work ethic that is simply amazing. Best of all he has a giggle that melts my heart every time I hear it, and I'm so grateful that he giggles a lot!
Now we have a lot of work ahead to prepare him for the next step of his journey. We have a wonderful village of teachers, friends and family to help make sure he's ready. And yes, I predict there will be many more tears (both happy and nervous) as high school ends, and college begins- but the excitement of open doors and acceptance will make this leg of the journey one of the happiest- No doubt about it!
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| Ben's senior picture- photo credit Debbie Eaton (a member of Ben's village) |
