My Little Rainman

This picture is from May last year. Jake was ten. When I look at this picture I see my little boy becoming a tween. And I guess that makes me more than a little sad. Life is difficult for an autistic, even someone high functioning like Jake. He has always face life's difficulties with that smile but I don't see it as much these days and fear I will see it less in years to come. I suspect that his teen years will be especially difficult as he struggles to adjust to the changing social rules of his peers. The truth is, a large part of me wishes he would stay a little boy forever. That way I could always look over and protect him. I guess a lot of parents go through this but I didn't really feel this way with the older boys so it's new to me. 

Keep smiling, Bubber. You are still my hero.