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What do I want to be When I grow up

a mommy
a singer
an actress
a teacher
an athletic trainer
a crime scene investigator 
a day care operator

    These were my answers to the question from age 4-18. I dare you to ask me today, keeping in mind I will be turning 30 this year. For the last 8 years I have been a mommy. Which was number one on my to-do list. I have cared for other kids while their mommies went to work but I have always struggled with what I was 'doing'. What was I doing to contribute to society, make the world a better place? 
    Don't get me wrong, staying home with kids full time was often MORE strenuous than the job I previously had working in a physical therapy office. And I don't (always) doubt my contribution to my children's lives and molding them into the kind, smart, loving gentlemen they are. I have just always felt like I should be doing more.
    I had kept journals, more like scribblings really, when I was staying home with my first born. It wasn't until the birth of my second child that I decided to start sharing our experience with others on a fairly regular basis. By 6mo I knew something was amiss with Alden. I started pressing our pediatrician and he kept telling me to give him time; but I knew. By 10mo I was done waiting and made the call to Early On. We started receiving services before his first birthday and just before his second birthday we got the official Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. Writing about our experience was an outlet for my emotions and let friends and family into our world for both awareness and for much needed love and support. 
    Through the course of sharing  my writing and our experiences, I received a lot of love and support to push us through. I also got a lot of compliments on my writing and encouragement to start a blog or submit my writing to magazines. I was flattered by the compliment but assumed it was mostly an effort to stroke the ego of a emotional, tired, stressed out stay at home mom. Perhaps that's exactly what it was! Never the less I find myself spilling my guts in the form of writing any way. 
    So here I go, officially setting out on a new adventure (in all my spare time) blogging and freelance writing. A creative outlet for me, perhaps finding my 'purpose'. My hope being that along the way I can help or encourage, maybe even inspire other people finding their way through this autism journey. 
    So go ahead, ask me. What do you want to be when you grow up? A writer! I will try my hand at wearing this hat for a while. Should I fail I can always grow up next year. 

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