When Stalen was two years old he needed complete darkness in order to sleep. We had blackout curtains in his bedroom but it wasn’t enough. I took large dark coloured garbage bags and taped them over the windows. I had to do this in our bedroom as well because he often ended up in bed with us.
For over two years, we couldn’t lift the blind, open the window or let the light in.
I know so many of you will understand this….
We couldn’t risk messing up what we had in place because it was working.
When your child is struggling and you find something that works, you don’t allow anyone to mess with it. I would have fought anyone who tried to touch those windows and alter those garbage bags or how the curtains laid upon them.
At first the garbage bags were a dismal reminder that autism controlled every aspect of our lives. Stalen’s diagnosis was new and we were learning to navigate it all. As we settled in and found our groove, I realized that the garbage bags on the windows were a reminder that we were willing to do whatever it took for our son.
Now, almost 6 years post diagnosis we have no garbage bags on our windows. The light shines through. We have learned to ebb and flow, to live with autism. Time and experience have become two of our greatest allies.
Always remember….garbage bags on windows are temporary, it won’t be like that forever.
The current situation and how your feel at this precise moment, will not always be your situation and how you feel permanently.
The light will always find a way to break through the dark.
Stalen's Way 