As I mentioned yesterday, April is Autism Awareness month. During the month of April, I will be sporting blue nails each day in a small effort to increase autism awareness. Today, for 30 Days of Blues, I have for you Julep Jessica with Deborah Lippmann Today Was a Fairytale...
Julep Jessica is a pale baby blue and Lippmann Today Was a Fairytale is an icy, blue-silver hex glitter top coat.
While I was applying this mani, I was kind of chuckling to myself because most days with an autistic child aren't fairytales. At least they weren't for us a year ago. If you have read my blog for any length of time, you may remember that Blake's diagnosis was a long time coming and something that we struggled with for months. Once we had the diagnosis, while we were thankful that we finally had an official diagnosis on paper, we also felt like a part of us, and our dreams for our child, had died. We grieved for months. Then in August, he started at a new school, in a class made up of only boys on the autism spectrum and it's like we have a new child. He is so incredibly smart and talented and I am finally able to see that. Yes, we do have days that are fueled by his disability, and yes, there are days where I still want to run and hide, but there are also wonderful, amazing days that I finally feel like I am able to see my son and not just his autism.
Unfortunately, our struggle is not over. It never will be. Not only are we now struggling with the possibility of Blake's twin sister having Asperger's Syndrome (more on that at a later date), but we continually have to deal with the stigma that goes with autism. We can't go to a restaurant for fear that something will trigger an outburst. Those days are getting rarer, but they do still happen. And honestly, while an outburst is something I can deal with, nasty looks and/or comments from fellow patrons is something I cannot. I swear one day, I'm going to make a shirt that says "I Have Autism... Turn Around" or "I Have Autism... No, I Don't Need to Be Spanked". :P
It's so easy to think that I'm a bad parent or that my child is just a brat. Unfortunately, I don't think people realize just how many children are now on the autism spectrum. Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys. One in 54! That number to me is astounding. This is why autism awareness is so important. And I realize that painting my nails blue is so small, but if I can help one person become more aware of this issue, then that's good for me. :)
In addition to the month of April being Autism Awareness Month, more specifically, today is World Autism Awareness Day. Today, individuals and businesses the world over are participating in "Light it Up Blue" to Shine a Light on Autism. I encourage you to participate as well, both today and during the month of April. For more information on "Light it Up Blue" and Autism Awareness, please check out lightitupblue.org and autismspeaks.org.
Additionally, you are more than welcome to participate in my "30 Days of Blues". If you have a blog, and you would like to join me in any way, please let me know your blog URL and I will be happy to post your blog in my sidebar. If you do not have a blog and you would still like to participate, let me know and I will be glad to post your blue manicures on my site. I will also be happy to post your stories with autism during this month. As you can tell, this is so important to me. I would love to share this with as many people as possible.
Furthermore, I know I'm not the only nail polish blog participating in Autism Awareness. I know that Jasmine at Colour Coated and Cristina at Let Them Have Polish have also posted blue manicures today for World Autism Awareness Day. I will be adding these blogs and others to my sidebar.
Also, I will have more stories, blue manicures, and a giveaway during the month of April. If you would like to participate with me, either on your blog, or by emailing me your blue manicures and/or autism stories, please reply in these post. You can also email me directly at megan@apolishproblem.com
Thank you so much for reading and thank you so much for participating in Autism Awareness. <3
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