The RelationChick

Today, I would like to share some important things I have come to learn over the past few years:

1. It's about autism acceptance, not just awareness - acceptance embraces autistic people as they are, it doesn't ask them to mask their symptoms in order to "fit in".

2. On that note, the autistic community generally rejects the puzzle piece as a symbol because it implies the need to "fit in" with those who are not autistic. Currently, the rainbow or gold infinity symbol is more widely accepted since autism is a fluctuating spectrum that each individual experiences differently.

3. The organization known as Autism Speaks is responsible for the "light it up blue" campaign that you may hear about today. The Canadian chapter of this organization was shut down recently for outdated and harmful practices (again, forcing the idea of "fitting in"). Autism acceptance should not be dependent on autism identification.

I have learned so much about autism in the past few years, and so much about our language and understanding regarding autism has changed since I was a kid.

If you haven't recently taken some time to educate yourself on autism, I highly recommend it.

For those who are in the Toronto area ❤️

THE MENTAL LOAD

It's the last line that speaks to me - because it's about the things that NEED worrying about. And if I'm not looking out and planning for those things then my kids will be the ones to suffer if no one else thinks to think about it. It's the privilege and curse of being the primary caregiver.
How do you deal with carrying the mental load?

A VERY IMPORTANT REMINDER!
Courtesy of
As adults, we almost never do something immediately after we are asked to, especially if we're already engaged in doing something. We often get agitated and irritated when we're interrupted. And we often leave things out when we plan to "come back to it later". So why is it we almost never offer our children this kind of understanding?
So often, we equate good behaviour with immediate obedience. This is your reminder that even though you are the parent/adult, that the relationship with your child(ren) is still a cooperative one, where both parties need to feel heard and respected. Negotiating is not a threat, it's an important life skill!

It's a good day to have a silly morning ☺️