Since I lost my job last year, our very kind Sensei has let me start cleaning the dojo so I could work off their fee, instead of having to pull them from class. This has worked out well. Cleaning someone else's toilets is not on my "favorite things" list, but it's a small price to pay for them to continue karate. With Tony now fully employed, Kate has been allowed to step into his spot. She is SO excited!! Her sweet friend has been such an encouragement to her, trying to help her learn new moves and smiling at her from across the room when it's hard. Her sister has been very helpful too, but I somehow forgot to get a pic of them two of them. Next time...
The kid's karate class is for homeschooled children. Our dojo offers many classes throughout the day, but Sensei offers two classes in the morning specifically for children who are homeschooled. It's very nice and a good way to meet fellow homeschoolers. Yesterday, after cleaning, I went outside to talk to a mom I hadn't met before. We had only talked for a moment when we both realized we have children recovered from autism. You should have heard the squealing and laughing!! Grace told me later that they could hear us all the way inside. Oops, but also lol! :) This mom and I almost immediately started chatting about GI problems and how getting a handle on that had improved brain function. Autism moms can talk poop, I tell ya! It's what we do because we KNOW that gut problems cause brain problems.
I have met many parents trying to recover their children, especially at conferences. Plenty of conversations online and over the phone. But meeting one in my own hometown is way exciting!! She has had the same experience we have...people can't believe her son used to be on the spectrum. I have watched him in class for months. You know, the kids don't just stand there like robots, they interact before and after class, they sometimes goof off during class; they're quite normal children, these homeschooled people. ;) I had no idea her son used to be on the spectrum. And she had no clue mine were either.
It's nice to be on this side of things. Recovery accomplished. And now we're able to help others do the same thing. What a privilege.
