My Autistic Son Has Nothing To Be Sorry For — He’s Wonderful, Thanks

For some reason when people mention that they have an autistic child, the responses often include comments like "I'm sorry."

That's not OK.

Related Reading: Telling My Son He Has Autism

In fact, it angers me when people say things like this, especially if those kinds of comments are said in front of my son. Perhaps they just don't know what to say and it's the first thing that comes to mind. Or maybe they just aren't educated enough about what autism actually is. That still doesn't make "I'm sorry" an OK response.

Autism seems like a scary word to so many people, but there is nothing to be sorry for when it comes to autism.

And there's especially nothing to be sorry for when it comes to my son being himself.

Yes, he is autistic and has some struggles with transitions and self-regulation, but he is also bright. And hilarious and silly. He also has this incredible ability to spot and highlight the smallest details in the world around him, details that most would miss. Details that I know I would miss.

He is a wonderful person just the way he is and I always want him to know that.

It's a beautiful thing really — that ability to stop and enjoy what he finds fascinating.

It's just one of his many positive traits that I like to remind him of and thank him for.

He is a wonderful person just the way he is and I always want him to know that.

For instance, my autistic son was recently telling me some homemade jokes. In between his laughs, he casually asked, "Don't you think I'm weird?"

I stopped and got to my knees. With a smile on my face, I simply turned to him and responded with, "You should be. You are my child after all and I'm weird, too."

Related Reading: 8 Things You Should Never Assume About Autism

After all, being different is good. I want him to know that.

I remind him of that often because I certainly hope that my son picks up on the fact that he should never ever be ashamed of being different or good at math or insanely talented at beating Geometry Dash levels on the first try.

I want him to know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being autistic.

Most importantly, I want him to know that there is nothing wrong with embracing his interests and passions, even if they seem unusual to others.