How do you guys prepare for the future?
For me, I can’t seem to look past “today.”
The most pressing questions being things like…
“Will we get through his school day okay?”
“Will he have a meltdown when ‘so and so’ comes over?”
And some days I will venture into the NEAR future…
“Will we get through the school YEAR okay?” but I never really ask many questions beyond THAT.
Why?
Because one of the biggest worries of Ausome parents is “the future.”
I suppose that is one of the biggest worries of ANY parent, but for me (an Ausome parent of a ‘young’ child), there is a VERY real possibility that Jonah will be dependent on us as parents LONG after he reaches adulthood.
Jonah’s only 4 years old right now.
What will happen in the future?
How long will we be able to provide support for him should he need it? Will he be able to look after himself after we are gone?
These are all questions we face at some point.
And when we reach that point, if we find that there is not sufficient support for our Ausome kiddos, we can either complain about it, try to get other people to do something about it…
or…
WE can do something about it.
My only hope for the distant future is that I will be able to provide the necessary life skills in order for Jonah to succeed in life. That is what every parent wants for their child.
That’s what my friends over at the Autism Awareness Shop are doing. And they are helping others do it too.
Cody has just turned 21!
And on his 21st birthday, they signed lease papers to open an adult vocational training center and thrift store (non-profit)!
They are starting out in Florida, but plan on showing the world what those with Autism can contribute to the workplace and open locations throughout the country (their long term mission).
Not only will they be training and employing those with autism, they plan on also offering Speech Therapy, OT, and possibly behavioral therapies.
What a fantastic idea!
They are looking for volunteers if you live in the Tampa (Florida) area and feel so inclined.
Send a message over to the Autism Awareness Shop-Tampa Thrift Store and Vocational Training Nonprofit for more info.