The All New "A Mother's Wish Community"
An invitation to attend the First Meetup of the All New "A Mother's Wish Community" for Parents/Next of Kin (NOK) Raising Autistic Individuals
Let's Empower Families for Families!
Day: Saturday, October 12th
Time: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Venue: 27 Jalan Jintan, #10-31
Kimsia Court, S229017 (Behind Lucky Plaza)
Contribution: SGD10 (support AMW's activities and cover refreshments purchased from special needs enterprises)
Agenda:
First, we would like to hear from you:
What are your needs and wants? We would like this meetup to be a safe space for you to express your ideas and emotions.
How can we as parents help one another? Parents and NOK possess a treasure trove of experiences that we can share with one another as resources.
Second, we would like to explore our programming ideas with you:
Regular meetups every two months comprising the following components: 1) support group & 2a) sharing from an expert/parent OR 2b) discussion of autism reading materials OR 2c) wellness activities to recharge parents' overall well-being
Planned activities involving parents/NOK and autistic children
Short, Nurturing Learning/Holiday Retreats in the region for Parents OR Entire Families .
Ongoing support for parents/NOK to seek help and support: Apart from AMW, it would also be great for all parents to create a web of support to reach out to those with whom we connect. Stay connected through WhatsApp, get together over a cup of coffee, and offer your shoulder to cry on..
Register at: https://amwautismcommunitymeetup.peatix.com/
Back when A Mother's Wish (AMW) ran its subsidised holiday programme activities during the school holidays (from December 2013–December 2016), I had focused my attention solely on providing activities for individuals with autism.
At the time, the AMW community was premised on this belief: if autistic participants were sufficiently engaged in meaningful activities, they would be happy and well-adjusted.
Alas, this was not the case. Even though Sebastien, my autistic son, who was going through adolescence, attended the holiday programme "happily", he was still acting out and engaging in aggression at home and elsewhere. Another parent who was experiencing similar difficulties with her son also did not have any respite from her son. At some point, he did not come to the holiday programme anymore.
Over the last three years, I have come to recognise the pivotal role that we as parents play in the well-being of our children.
By this, I am NOT referring to setting up their educational and therapy services and paying for them.
Rather, I am referring to our mindset, particularly our perceptions towards our children's differences from the norms, and our emotional well-being. They hold the key to our ability to forge positive and supportive relationships with our children and their endeavour to thrive in our world.
Because we lie at the heart of our children's social world, we exert a tremendous influence on their development. We can be even more important than any therapist in their lives.
Thus, the aim of the All-New AMW Community is to turn the spotlight onto the parents. By working on ourselves and transforming our mindsets and attitudes towards our own well-being, we can be the change that can transform ALL our lives for the better.
