What's worse than having an autistic child?

NOT having that autistic child.

Duncan has enjoyed Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Suess since I bought him a CD Rom of the story a while back. Before Christmas when I asked him what he wanted Santa to bring, he said 'Green Eggs and Ham book and K'nex roller coaster.' Santa was very obliging, even managing to get an older edition of the book with the required orange cover, as seen on the CD Rom. Duncan knows the story off by heart, but has read it to himself loads of times anyway. He carries it about with him, taking it to bed to put under his pillow. He never goes in the car without the orange book on his lap.

I spotted another Dr Suess book in a charity shop a few weeks ago, Happy Birthday to You! I read this to him yesterday for the first time. Wow, what a book! It's got all the usual funny, silly rhyming lines, it's got the weird and wonderful illustrations, but it's also got some of the most profound and amazing lines. I am a total soppy fool for this kind of thing, but I had to gulp back the tears a few times while reading, and I kept stopping to hug my wee man sitting beside me, enjoying the story.

If you'd never been born...
...
Why, you might be a WASN'T!
A wasn't has no fun at all. No, he doesn't!
A wasn't just isn't. He just isn't present.
But you...You ARE YOU! And, now isn't that pleasant!

I hope that the time will come when all children and adults, no matter what they look like or what they are capable of or sound like or who they're attracted to or who their parents are or whatever- will be able to, (in the words of Dr Suess);

Shout loud at the top of your voice, "I AM I!
ME!
I am I!
And I may not know why
But I know that I like it.
Three cheers! I AM I!"

...

I am what I am! That's a great thing to be!
If I say so myself, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!