Ep 12 - My Story: "Your son might have a little bit of autism"

The Big Greek Smackdown

This episode is deeply personal and close to my heart.
I want to share an experience that impacted my life as a mother and a woman.
When my son was almost 3 years old, a speech therapist mentioned that he might have a "little bit of autism." Those words hit me hard and I struggled to fully grasp their meaning at the time. I hadn't done any work on myself and I felt like I wasn't enough of a mother for him.
In my mind, I associated being a good mother with having a "normal" child who followed norms, played soccer and fit in.
My son played with girls and didn't enjoy soccer and I believed that I had failed him.
This experience served as a turning point for me.
It made me realise that I needed to look inward and trust myself as a mother. I needed to understand that my worth as a parent wasn't tied to whether my child conformed to cultural expectations.
I learned to trust my intuition. I focused on supporting him in becoming the best version of himself.
My relationship with my son transformed. I discovered that accepting him for who he was allowed him to thrive in his own way. I let go of the pressure to fit him into a box and instead embraced his authenticity.
I hope my story and journey supports someone who needs to hear this.