I continually see stories about mother’s helping their children with autism.  They truly are making a difference; there is no doubt about it!  What I do not see often enough are stories about all the amazing dad’s out there.  So I thought I would tell you about an amazing dad that I happen to know very well. 

Ryan has been such a wonderful support to our family & me.  His loving support pushes me on to trying new things to help Nate.  WE are recovering our son from autism.  There is no way I could not do it all on my own.

There are times that I feel beat down.  Those days that Nate is very OCD (circle sprinkler, fan sprinkler, system sprinkler…you get my point) and it seems like progress is moving like molasses.  (This is mostly due to being with him all the time and forgetting how far he has come.)  Ryan understands this and he immediately offers to watch the kids so I can get out of the house.  I know that may sound like a little thing but it is HUGE.  Before you know it I am ready to hear about sprinklers all day long and Ryan (after a long day at work) is building sprinkler systems just for Nate in the backyard.

When Nate bangs his head at night, Ryan, will get up and rub his head and pray for him.  (Nate does not bang his head as much as he used to but it still happens every now and then.  We still do not know why.)  He never is upset to be woken in the middle of the night but is more concerned about Nate’s well being.

If I read some research on autism and think we should try something or go a particular direction then he supports me.  He wants to learn why and wants to get educated himself.  I still love it when he explains how the Specific Carbohydrate Diet works.  Don’t even get me started on when he talks about the difference between mono-saccharides and polysaccharides.  (I know, I am a dork.)

One of the best things about Ryan is that he continually is reminding me of the BIG picture.  This is just a season.  Today he may be stuck on “sprinklers” but tomorrow it may be “fans”. ( Haha!)  He has made me laugh no matter what the day has brought and he has helped me to dream when I was afraid to dream.  He has been a wonderful husband, father (of soon to be 4 boys!), lover, friend and teammate that I could have ever asked for.

Thank you, Ryan, for all that you have done for our family.  You still continue to amaze me.  I love you.  Happy Father’s Day!