Letter to My Son

This  I wrote on March 14th 2009.

Dear Son,
I can't believe how fast the years have flown, it's seems just yesterday when I met you for the first time. I was so excited to have you at last. Right from the beginning I knew you were special. You were bright and happy so long as I was around. You couldn't bear to be parted from me, even for one minute. At just nine months old you were walking, nothing would stop you as you reached each milestone quickly and easily. I thought you were so clever how you would arrange all your toys by colour and name all your trains and say what colour they were. Numbers were special to you and I would joke how you would become a mathematician when you grew up.

School was wonderful at first. I always had glowing reports of how clever you were. I would ignore the comments about your more unusual behaviours. When you were six your teacher, who adored you, gave me a number for a child pyschologist. I never called, there was no need, you were my bright little star. You had a couple of friends who you liked to spend most of your time with. You ignored everyone else.

Then as you got older I had to face the truth. It was like no-one understood you. You were likeable enough, but your unusual ways made your peers keep well away, apart from the ones who thought it was fun to tease you and make you angry. You would come home and state that you had anger issues and could I please get you some help. So I did, and we were given a full report and a diagnosis. You have Asperger's Syndrome. All this time the one thing I'd so wanted to avoid was to give you a label, and now that's exactly what had happened.

I soon realised that it was for the best though. Finally people understood and you wasn't just the weird kid anymore. You got help and I got help and both our lives improved. You did well at a new school and at college. I'd always been proud of you but now I was more proud than ever.

Now I see you growing up and I feel we have both grown up so very much. You are such an handsome lad, (well, I would say that I'm your mother) with your big brown eyes and dark hair. At over six feet tall you truly are the epitomy of tall, dark and handsome. Most of all you are caring and loving and I just know that you will find yourself a lovely girl one day and settle down. As for the anger problems, well they went away as soon as I took you away from the bullies, trust you to blame yourself.
We've had a bumpy ride but I'm sure the future will bright for us both.
My love always,
Mum xxx