Mark and I have been publishing the ALNews since February 2006. Mark has a background in publishing and journalism while my educational experience centered around obtaining my teachers credential to teach Secondary Social Studies.
Mark and I have been married for 23 years and we have 3 lively children. The youngest is severly autistic. This said I feel the need to write this letter today after reading the daily headlines and seeing that President Obama made an unfortunate and totally not meant – comment about the Special Olympics on the Jay Leno show.
Please take note that I didn’t say “a retarded comment”. Even before I had a special needs child, that word was always offensive to me. Now I know that is a favorite word of the teens as Mark and I are the parents of a teenager and a “tween”.. our teen is always quick to correct her friends or associates when they use the word ‘ retarded ‘ ( sometimes quite heatedly) explaining to them how that word has become such a negative word, implying something that is undesirable.
Like most people, I have tender feelings and admiration for special needs persons and find my associate with them and all involved with them expressly desirable.
And thus I feel very sentimental today and want to write about our incredible journey that started when we started to realize that Mark Jr. had autism.
I adore my blond haired, brown eyed boy. He is the center of our family’s universe and we worship the ground he walks on. He is funny, fun and smart. He knows that he is loved.
Dad Mark and I and our children are gaining experience as we have the privilege to serve Marky daily, helping him to complete some tasks that so far he is not able to do on his own. He gives back to us by his smiles and his kisses.
Our neighbors and our friends treat our son with dignity and respect and would do anything they can to help our family.
The public school Marky attends is superior. His teachers and the staff LOVE him. The services that are available to Mark are all incompassing. Other services are available through the OC regional center.
I feel so much affection for the other students in Marky’s class. Most of these kids have been together since preschool. They have their own network. They look out for each other.
I feel too emotional about this subject to write anymore at this time. I think we all need to forgive the President and Move on. Susan
