"Hug, Daddy."
C stopped saying things like "hello" and "goodbye" months ago. Gone were "Mommy" and "Daddy." No more running to get a squeeze. In fact, he stopped asking for almost anything. He just went away.
So imagine the feeling when, this morning, C ran toward me, arms outstretched, and uttered the words above.
Think of something your child says to you, a little endearment, a loving turn of phrase. Now imagine that going away forever. You would never take such utterances for granted again. In this way, autism offers its bittersweet gifts.
Quisque iaculis facilisis lacinia. Mauris euismod pellentesque tellus sit amet mollis.