Courageous Moms and Dads

The Santa Family would like to wish all of you a very blessed and happy Easter.I hope that everyone who is reading this had an amazing Easter weekend! I know I did, very busy but great none the less. I was able to spend time with my family, Grandma Santa made the trip down from Penticton to share in the Easter egg hunt, I am sure that she will be at home resting from her mini vacation, she is not used to having 3 kids jump on her at 6am wanting to play Batman and Robin with Nerf shoot darts.

The most enjoyable part of the weekend was being able to see my mom play with the kids and to see the smiles on everyone’s face. It was however a bit sad in a way. I was watching my mom and realizing that she is not getting any younger,that being said she has not lost her passion to make people smile.

I remember when I was young and she was going through Chemotherapy for her Cancer. Single mom, 3 kids, Cancer, she would still find a way to make you smile, was and still is the most positive person I have ever met. I still can picture the day that she came home from the doctor when I was 12 and told us that she was going to have to have a Mastectomy, my sisters and I were crying and we worried for our mom. Mom looked us straight in the eye and said “You don’t have to worry about me, Cancer or any muggers”!  I asked  “What do Muggers have to do with anything” she said “ I will be fine because I have you kids, the Cancer can’t beat me and if I get mugged I can just tell them I am Flat Busted”. We all laughed and from that point on we knew she would be ok!

My wish is that everyone could be this positive with their lives. There are so many problems with the world today. Together with the attitude like Grandma Santa we could put a dent in allot of issues that plague us.

With it being Autism Awareness Day I would hope that each and every one of you find a tweet that is related to Autism and RT to spread the word. Unless you are in that world everyday  You have no idea what it is like to live with a child with Autism until you have one. I have so much respect for the parents that care for children and adults with Autism every day, I do know what it’s like and it makes you a stronger person. You are all amazing.

I know it’s difficult to go into stores, Restaurants, find babysitters for a night out and get schools that are willing to help knowing how difficult it may become. The worst part is the looks and stares that you get when you are out in public and have an episode, sheer ignorance. More often than not the adults are worst that the children. Can't tell you how many times I have heard someone say “what a brat” “why not smack that kid” “why would you bring a child in here when they are acting like that” and the best one is “that attitude comes from the parents”. There is so much ignorance that is associated with Autism or any neurological or physical disability that it’s disheartening to see, especially in this day and age of the internet and smartphones, you can look up anything and gain knowledge in seconds.

The next time you see a small child in the mall, restaurant or anywhere having a difficult time, please use some sense of common courtesy and think, maybe they are just having a bad day. To gain some knowledge and learn more about Autism please visit.

My personal favorite for what they have done for children with Autism

http://www.canucksautism.ca/        Twitter: @canucksautism

  1. Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism

2. California Autism Foundation

3. The Northwest Autism Foundation (NWAF)

4. UK Autism Foundation

5. RT Autism Awareness Foundation

6. Autism Delaware

7. Utah Autism Foundation

8. Parker Autism Foundation

9. Grant a Gift Foundation

10. Lowcountry Autism Foundation, Inc

Be kind to everyone you meet, Smile as it may be the only one someone sees all day

Santa