Happy Mother's Day

Last week, my blog Autistic Globetrotting celebrated its two-year anniversary. Many things have changed during this past year: it expanded, joined Google+ and Twitter, made new friends, and even developed a brand-new look. Even through all this change, one thing has remained constant: the idea to inspire autistic families to go out and explore the world. After sharing my family's stories, pictures, and tips with all of you these past years, I thought it was wonderful for you all to share your stories in celebration of not only my blog's anniversary but of Mother's Day as well. Whether a short day outing to the zoo, ocean, or a transatlantic journey, I wanted to read how other mothers go about their routines. My guidelines were simple: describe your family, your educational philosophy towards your children, what you carry along on outings, and your enjoyment of the process.The responses were amazing; over forty mothers took time from their busy, hectic schedules to write down their posts and send in their answers fast so we could meet the Mother's Day set deadline. Though the diagnoses and needs of their children varied substantially, all the moms' stories were incredibly similar. Of course, the tips mostly revolved around what electronic devices to bring along with special diet snacks and sensory toys. Many admitted to preferring car trips over flying that involve the much-dreaded TSA.Yet, there so many commonalities between parents that had never even met. Every post I read was filled with tremendous love, patience, wisdom, and incredible optimism that I for one found inspiring. And the best part was they unanimously hoped to expand their travel horizons in the future which was precisely what I encouraged my readers to do! I would like to extend a big thank you to all of you who have read this post, and an even greater thank you to the mothers who participated. This was by far the best Mother's Day gift I could ever have received.Happy Mother's Day, MargalitGuest posts by: Simone Balestrin Esther Fillon Baker Pam Blackburn Jennifer Brook Alysia Butler Irma Canfield Heather Ann Dymock Mara Fritts Elizabeth Gorski Kelly Green Jennifer Faust Hartsuff Jenny Herman Debra Hosseini Gretchen Mansfield Cathy Beukuma McNulty Araceli Verduzco Meza Katrina Moody Jennifer Byde Myers Mieko Hester -Perez Jennifer Perry Laurie Robinson Shannon Des Roches Rosa Jackie Martin-Sebell Zoe Sandell Lorrie Servati Kim Stagliano Jeannette V. Suarez Jane Tipton Kristy Warkentin Tania Weissberg Jenny Wendling Annette White Jean Winegardner