I haven't wrote anything for a while, mainly because I have been so busy and I find it hard to ever have any free time to write on the blog. We moved house this summer which even though was stressful, went considerably well and L has taken well to the new house and his new surroundings. He does still ask about his old house and says he misses it but overall things have been good and I'm very happy with how well he has adapted to the move. I've reduced my hours at work and S has started a new job which has made for a happier household all round. L started back at school last month and all reports so far have been great. The head of the support centre says he seems more confident this year and they have saw really positive changes in him so I'm delighted with how well he is doing considering he has had a house move to deal with also.
So overall things are going well for us. I was chatting to my (newish) neighbour a few weeks after we moved into our house. They didn't seem to be around when we first moved and he said they were on holiday and asked if we had any holidays planned. I said we didn't but were hopeful of maybe going away in October. We were talking about possible destinations and he asked if I had ever been to Turkey and I said I hadn't and also said I would never go there. He said they had been a few times and liked it and said it didn't live up to the bad reputation it had. I said I wasn't really bothered about its reputation but I would never go there for 2 reasons. Firstly I can't help but think there is bound to be a terrorist attack there at some point and secondly I could never laze by the pool or on the beach, eating and drinking all day knowing what is going on over the border. Which brings me to write about something that has disturbed me massively this week as I know it has done to many more people - the body of 3 year old Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach. I cried when I saw his picture on Facebook and read about his families plight. I hugged my daughter tightly as I thought of the desperation Aylan's mother must have felt. How terrified she must have been to bundle her 2 boys on to the boat whilst smiling to them to try and hide her fear. How cold and dark the night would have been. Her terror as they fell in to the water and she knew their fate was sealed. And Aylans little body lying there washed up on the sand as if he was asleep. On a beach where people go on holiday. How many more Aylan Kurdis has there been? And amongst all of this the outrage of Ukip candidate Peter Bucklitsch tweeting that Aylan's family were greedy for the good life. Well Peter why don't you move you and your family to Syria and see how greedy you become.
The reason I am writing about this is simple. People moan daily about their lives. About how hard they are. You work too many hours. Your children won't do as they're told. You can't afford a holiday. Your house is too small. You can't find an outfit to wear to a party. You're unhappy in your relationship. You don't have enough cash. You want a new job. The list goes on. No one ever seems to stop and think just how lucky they are. My son has autism. Big deal. It can be stressful at times. So what? We have a lovely life. We are so lucky to firstly have a life at all, and secondly to be born and live where we are. So the next time you want to moan about your kids, your home, your lives in general....just don't. Think about how privileged you actually are. Your children are tucked up in their cosy beds in their nice homes. They are not running for their lives in the middle of the night. The image of Aylan's little body will haunt me for a long time. A 3 year old should be allowed to be a 3 year old regardless of where they live. Sleep tight little man. You and your brother and your mum are at peace now and you don't have to run anymore.
