How To Be Happy According To My Autistic Son, Jonathan
Bringing up an autistic son is not easy and my journey had been filled with disappointments. frustration and pain. But there were also moments of happiness, bliss, and joy. One thing for sure, it has been a learning experience and I have learned so much from my autistic son.
Out of the 4 people in my family, Jonathan seems the happiest. He constantly has a smile on his face and is very slow to anger. Every day, he seems so happy, without a care or worry in the world while the rest of us seem under stress and quite often unhappy. Therefore when it comes to being happy, I believe that we all can learn a lot from Jonathan.
1. It Takes Very Little to Make Jonathan Happy.
The simple things in life make Jonathan happy. He loves to eat and is always happy as he takes his favorite. You can see him beaming as he licks his ice cream. Despite being autistic, Jonathan loves our company. I can remember seeing his face lighting when I returned home from work. He rarely fails to welcome me home without a smile. I remember saying to my wife, "Jonathan is the one who is most happy to see me return home from work".
The rest of us are unhappy when our expectations are not met. The problem is that we all tend to compare our lives with others. Many a time, we feel unhappy when we see our friends having a good time or having a higher standard of living than ours. In addition, a lot of us have unrealistic expectations. These unrealistic expectations could be due to unrealistic advertising that had bombarded us on a daily basis. We looked at the photograph of a beautiful model which probably has been photoshopped as well and we end up being unhappy with how we looked.
2. Jonathan Is Fully Immersed In The Present
From my interactions with Jonathan, he seems fully immersed in the present, savoring the moment-to-moment experiences. He does not have any regrets about the past nor does he worries about the future. He eats when he is hungry and goes to sleep when he is tired.
For the rest of us, the regrets and burdens of the past wear us out. In addition, we often worry about what the future brings us. Our hectic lifestyle and busyness prevent us from being fully present. As such, we often miss out on opportunities for joy and happiness
3. Jonathan Accepts Himself
As Jonathan is unable to compare himself with others, he accepts himself for who he is. Due to his low level of self-awareness, he does not know that he is different from others. In addition, he accepts the circumstances that he is. In many ways, he is happy with who he is and the circumstances that he is in. If we can accept ourselves and the circumstances that we are in, we will all be much happier.
I truly believe that if we possess the attributes that Jonathan had, we will all be much happier. I hope that this is food for thought for all the readers and I welcome your comments.
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Jonathan has the qualities that gives one inner peace, humans tends to worry about the future which takes away their happiness, if only we can all learn to live the moment, life will be beautiful
Although Jonathan has a disability, in a way he is also blessed. There is no cure for autism and I hope that I can bring him happiness every day.
Yay! 🤗
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Thank you so much.
Are you a Filipino ya?
That's the hardest task to do for parents with autistic son.. But as they said, everything has a purpose..and I guess, his' is to give happiness to your family 🙂...
I am a Malaysian. It is hard to parent an autistic child who has so many needs. Everything does have purpose and I believe that this is God's plan.
All these you’ve said are great but I think most credit goes to you for your patience and dedication you given Jonathan for all these years. It’s admirable
Thank you so much. It is not an easy journey but I have become a better person because of this.
It’s a pleasure to meet you and learn from you
The pleasure is mine too. We can learn from each other.
I am glad to read your post and I am also proud to Jonathan and to you also because I know you raised him very well Maybe a simple things in life and the acceptance for what we are is really the key to genuine happiness.
Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, simple things and acceptance has made Jonathan a happy man. Thank you for dropping by.
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Because this is such an awesome post, here is a BBH Tip for you.
. Keep up the fantastic work
Thank you so much. This is an encouragement for me.
I understand how difficult it was for you to raise him all these years but I'm so inspired by your love for him and his happiness towards life and circumstances. How he became this way I don't really know but I'm sure your & commitment to him was a huge contributing factor. Thanks for bring a great Dad with a lovely son.
Thank you for your kind words. Bringing up an autistic son is hard. However if I want to move forward, I need to frame the situation positively. And that has helped me a lot.
That's great. You're very welcome ☺
Hello positivesteem.
Thank you so much for sharing educative post.
You must have trouble bringing your son.I appreciate your love for him.
He is the great example of happiness and we should take lesson from him not from a our hypocrite people around us.Your example of a model is perfect.It takes us far from reality.
Wish you and your family a happy and safe life.
Thank you for your kind comments. I am glad that you find my post very educational. It has been a tough journey for me and I had learned so much from my son.
People can't be happy like Jonathon.
I wish him a happy life as usual.You are a good father indeed.Best wishes for you dude.
Thank you so much for your good wishes. Wishing you all the best as well.
I really like your write up and I love Jonathan’s way of life, I too try to live with these principles and it has given me a level of contentment and joy and I hope to do more.
Thank you so much for being strong for yourself, your family and most especially for Jonathan.
Thanks for sharing 🙏
I believe that these simple principles will bring joy and content to anyone who follows these principles. Thank you for visiting and I wish the best for you.
You are welcome 🙏 and thank you 😊
I congratulate you for taking care of your son as you do, understanding it should not be easy. My son also has autism, not so advanced. A hug, keep up the good work.
Thank you very much for your encouragement. It is not easy for parents of autistic children.