# @lovewhatmatters on Instagram - **Type:** Image - **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz4B3Hgqs41 - **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/9993978-lovewhatmatters-instagram - **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/f06dda17b0.jpg - **Posted:** 2023-11-20T17:00:22.000+00:00 ## Caption "I want to talk about the unseen struggle we face as parents raising children on the spectrum and that is navigating the fear of judgment. It's a tough one to hurdle, and it takes time and experience along the way. Yes, my son is 27. But he loves his stuffed sloth, gnome, and countless books that aren't designed for a man his age. They make him happy. His age, in this context, is irrelevant. His happiness is what guides us through this maze of parenting a now young adult on the spectrum, and the fact that he is 27 is irrelevant. Jordan's story is not like most. He has never had a friend. He never played on a team. He never got his driver's license or went on a first date. We never moved him into a dorm room or his first apartment. He won’t get married or have children. He can’t live independently or make his own decisions. Traditional milestones have a different meaning in his life. He depends on others to help him navigate life, protect him, and keep him safe. We do it day in and day out, and we can't imagine our life any other way. This is our life. He doesn’t show emotion, not like we do. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel emotion, it just means we don’t see his emotions like we do other people in our life. And yes, that’s hard. People often wonder if he is happy. They ask me. Well, let me assure you, he is happy and he lives a great life. He is surrounded by people who love him for exactly who he is. They don’t have expectations for him to be anyone other than himself. They love him even though he doesn’t always, if ever, tell us or show us that he loves us too, yet we all know. We just know. When you can stop worrying about what other people think or say, and instead focus on you and your family, you will find acceptance and grace and just on the other side of that is more happiness and joy. When you accept your life and stop resisting it, and stop wishing and hoping and dreaming it was different, life gets a lot better. Our life is blessed and we are so grateful." For our best love stories, click the link in our bio to subscribe to Living Better, the Love What Matters newsletter! Shared with permission via Shannon Urquiola #LoveWhatMatters ## Stats - **Views:** 0 - **Likes:** 484 - **Shares:** 0 - **Comments:** 10 ## Tags lovewhatmatters --- Copyright (c) Gondola