Way To Go!!!

How awesome is this kid!  My thirteen year old, autistic, ADHD diagnosed grandson ran in a cross country event yesterday for his team.

Our Zach has had quite a struggle his young life.  He has impulses and uncontrolled behaviours that most of us don't understand.  He doesn't understand them either.  After a particular violent episode a few years ago, he was sitting calmly and asked, "Grammy, what's wrong with me?"

Most people think, "just spank his behind" or "put him in a corner for timeout" and that will take care of the problem.  That's because so many of us have no idea what autism is much less how to deal with it.  Even the "professionals" are at a loss and just try hit and miss strategies.

But in spite of having to spend almost two years in a home for autistic kids, away from his family, going to a different school and trying to learn new behaviours, coming back home and being thrown into, yet, another new school, he's coping.

Now, Zach is in middle school, competing on the track team and making friends.  And, can I say at this point, that not all teenagers out there are selfish, mean, drug induced zombies.  As a matter of fact, that depiction is such a small minority of the kids at Zach's school, it's not even worth mentioning.  These kids have opened their minds to autism, have opened their arms to a fellow team mate, and opened their hearts to his friendship.

Yesterday, I watched as Zach ran and laughed with his friends.  I saw him spend time with other people and not just cling on to his mom.  As he ran across the field with a couple of his buddies getting ready for their event, I yelled to him, "I WANT TO SEE YOU PASS EVERYONE, BUDDY!"  He turned to me and a smile split his face and he yelled back, "I will!"

You see, Zach has such a tender heart that he doesn't want to pass his friends.  He'll hang back and not get a reward just so he doesn't beat his pals. 

When I heard the cannon boom, I knew Zach would be rounding the corner to where I was waiting.  I was standing there in anticipation, stretching my neck, looking for our Zach.  He was looking for me, too, and I think we spotted each other at the same time and he had a grin that went all the way around his head.  He was beaming as he heard me yelling and cheering for him.  As he went by me with that face splitting grin, I was choked up.  Yep.  There I stood among cheering parents and friends, crying.  I was crying for all the hard times, all the heart aches, all the struggles just washed away because he was one of them.  He was a team mate.  He was a fellow teenager.  He was a friend.  AND, he was in the lead!!

Since it was a two mile run, there was time for me to walk up to the finish line and wait.  A few boys ran by and I kept thinking that maybe he was just not up to it,  or maybe he quit because it was such a long way, but then I saw him.  I saw him coming up over the hill toward the line.  He wasn't grinning now, he was sweating...profusely, but he was running!  He didn't quit!  He was giving it every thing he had!

Our Zach came in EIGTH out of six different middle schools!  Woohoo!!!!  Way to go buddy!!

When he came over to where his mom and I were standing after finishing, he asked his mom if they could go get something to eat.  Typical teenage boy.  I gave him some money to make sure he could go get a hotdog or something after the meet.  He stood there and counted it.  Typical teenage boy.