Grief doesn’t always look like tears. Sometimes it looks like silent stares, emotional numbness, or sudden irritability. You’re not crazy, you’re processing. You may be grieving the child you imagined before the diagnosis, and that’s okay. It’s not a betrayal to feel that way. It’s a step toward acceptance. Autism may change your journey, but it does not erase the incredible worth of your child. Or yours. You are allowed to struggle. You are allowed to cry. But please don’t stop believing that joy can still find its way in. You are stronger now than you were yesterday. Even if your heart is cracked open, it’s still beating with love. Your child needs you but you also need you. Be kind to your heart. It’s carrying more than most can see. You are not alone. And you are not broken. You are becoming.
