Here everything begins: Day 1

Hi, I'm Dayna.

Many of you already know me, and for those who are just arriving, give me a chance to introduce myself.

I'm a mom of 3: Kaleb, 22 years old; Alexia, 6 (with ASD Level 1); and Kai, 4 (with ASD Level 3).

For a long time I wanted to write this and I didn't dare. I opened the blank page so many times and closed it again. I was afraid of not finding the right words, of being judged, of exposing a part of my life that is so personal and so different from what people usually see on social media.

Today, finally, I give myself permission. I know the day is already advanced, and that this post is coming late, but today I just want to leave you the introduction. Because if I wait for the perfect moment, I will never start. So this is Day 1, even if it starts at the end of the day.

This is not the diary of an expert. It's not a guide, it's not a manual, and it's definitely not advice from someone who has everything figured out. It's the diary of a mom who learns every single day. Who makes mistakes, who gets tired, who cries in the bathroom sometimes, and who also finds an incredible strength she didn't know she had.

Let me introduce you to my world.

Kaleb, my oldest son. Although he is already 22, doesn't live with us and is not on the spectrum, he is and will always be a fundamental part of my life. He made me a mom for the first time. He taught me what unconditional love feels like, what it means to worry about another human more than about yourself. I love him with the same strength as day one, and he was my first great teacher.

And my two little ones, Alexia and Kai, who have taught me to see life in a completely different way: more honest, more sensory, more human. They don't see the world the way most people do. They feel everything more intensely. A sound, a light, a texture can be everything. And they have taught me to slow down and notice.

Here I will share our real journey, especially the one I live day by day with the two of them. I will share the daily challenges that no one talks about. The mornings that start early with routines that have to be exactly the same to feel safe. The moments when a change of plans turns into a big emotion that is hard to regulate. The appointments, the therapies, the paperwork, the explanations to people who don't understand.

But I will also share the other part, the part that keeps us going. The progress we celebrate as if we had won the World Cup. A new word, a look, a moment of connection, trying a new food, putting on shoes without help. For us, those are huge victories, and we celebrate them with all our hearts.

I will share the good days where everything flows. Where we laugh a lot, where they play together, where I feel like I am doing a good job. And I will also share the difficult days where nothing fits. Where I feel overstimulated too, where I have no patience left, where I question everything.

If you also live autism up close, as a mom, dad, sibling, family, therapist, or teacher, you will feel at home here. And if you simply want to understand it with respect and love, this space is for you too. You don't need to have all the answers to be here. Just empathy.

Thank you for being here on our Day 1. Thank you for reading this introduction, for giving us a chance, for being part of the beginning. It means the world to us.

Tomorrow I will introduce you better to my two little teachers. For today, this is enough. We started.

Will you come with us?

— Dayna

Cover image generated with AI, edited with AI assistance for translation and clarity.