The day he hatched, I cried in joy,
I said, “Sky’s your name, my little boy.
You're the best thing that’s happened to me,
And I’m going to be your Mommy.”
Seeing my reflection in his eyes,
gave me a bit of a surprise.
Because for the first time in life I understood,
Feathers and wings like mine were good,
But a loving heart was what I wanted to share.
Could that also be seen in my child's stare?
I questioned this more as Sky grew,
Because whenever I said, “I love you,”
All he ever answered back was, “Hoo.”
Was anything I taught getting through!
Sky is a challenge, the doctors said,
He appears locked inside his head.
But don’t give up, and neither will we,
Someday together, we’ll find the key.
So even when Sky didn’t respond,
At my love and eagerness to bond,
I still kept hoping that one day,
I’d sense for sure, he loved me, in some way.
Love never fails. I knew it was a fact,
So I worked on qualities I lacked.
Patience and kindness, not getting upset,
Till the day something happened, I’ll never forget.
It was the longest I’d ever been away from Sky,
A work trip took me on a far away fly.
I was scared to return to my son in our nest,
Would he see me as his mother or just some guest?
Descending slowly, I Hooted to him,
“Mommy is home again.”
Sky held up his wings, and tears rolled down his face,
And what happened next my mind likes to retrace.
For the first time, like most children living,
"Mama” was the hoot Sky was giving.
My heart skipped a beat. I knew what it meant,
In his own way, “I love you” was the message he’d sent.
Years of fear my son wasn’t aware,
Of the love with him I desired to share.
Were all erased in just one word,
That simple “Mama” that I heard.
The lock in Sky’s mind was picked that day,
Yes, love never fails to find its way.
Written by Natalie Nanoski, a Bright Buddies Champion
This is a fictional story based on the true feelings and events of a very dear friend of mine. She is a mother whose child is diagnosed with ‘Autism spectrum disorder & Developmentally Delayed, with communication.’