SO Many Experts Out There!....gee, thanks.

Sorry folks, but this one isn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows. Not angry either. Just kind of tired and frustrated. Having moved 4 times in the past 7 years, we have gotten used to the ups and downs that it involves. First the upside (see how I'm choosing to look at the positives first?). It gives us the opportunity to truly clear out the clutter. This happens twice. The first is when you're packing up your belongings and either toss out or donate to charity those things that you haven't used or seen in years and are pretty sure no one in the family is ever going to miss. The second half of clearing the clutter happens after you move into your new home, start unpacking boxes and ask yourself, "What was I thinking, bringing this or that along?" Second, if you word it the right way to your kids, you can convince them that the move counts as a family vacation. If you stay in a hotel while traveling to your new home, this definitely helps in the convincing! Third, you can convince yourself that it's OK to go out to dinner for at least the first night or two after you've moved because you haven't unpacked the dishes or cookware yet! Fourth, you get all kinds of "Welcome to The Neighborhood" coupons in the mail. Fifth, if you're moving someplace where no one knows you, you can start with a clean slate. In one sense, this is a good thing. People don't know you, so they don't expect much. The longer you can stay mysterious in this way, the longer you have to actually FIND places in the house to put all of your stuff! On the other hand, if you have a special needs child. Especially if this particular child is LOUD! You have to educate an entire new set of folks on "Why my kid acts the way he/she does". You try to prepare people by telling them that you have a 16 year old, 6 foot, 260 lb. son who is autistic, has bipolar disorder and intermittent explosive disorder, whose maturity level topped out at the age of about 9. Still, the inevitability of at least one person or more being offended, outraged and convinced that THEY know exactly what to do to "fix" your kid, never ceases to amaze me! When someone approaches the bishop saying that my son shouldn't be permitted to bless, pass or prepare the sacrament because of the things that come out of his mouth, and word gets back to me. I think to myself. "You big CHICKEN! You can pass judgment on my son, but you don't have the guts to come and talk to his parents? Yeah, I KNOW my son has struggles. I KNOW that he blurts out inappropriate comments. I also KNOW even though it is not obvious to the "world", he IS trying to act "normal", he IS trying to be a good person. And it takes every bit of strength he has to hold it together in trying to "ape" like "normal people". Especially in settings like school and church, where we all try to put our best face on. NEWSFLASH! I KNOW what you see and hear PLUS a whole lot more. I see him cry himself to sleep because he wants to be good and have friends and can't understand why he's so angry all the time and wonders what is wrong with himself! I hear him pour his heart out to God in prayer, begging for forgiveness for the things that come out of his mouth when he gets frustrated." These are things that his Dad and I can share with anyone who is truly concerned. However, there are those who are content to sit back and pass judgment on something that they have no clue about. Well gee, thanks a bunch.