Special Siblings

Over the past several weeks, I've written a lot about Nathan, and what it's been like for Jason and me for the past 8 years, dealing with his autism.  But our younger son, Drew, plays a key role in that.  He is 22 months younger than Nathan, but is much more like an older brother.  Drew is Nathan's protector, helper and teacher.

Drew is Nathan's protector, helper and teacher

When Nathan has a meltdown, Drew reminds us to ignore it, or if we're outside the house and Nathan starts to have a meltdown he will immediately step in to help calm him.  For example, when we went to Walt Disney World in June, we went to guest relations and asked for a sticker for Nathan's stroller/wheelchair so we can take it into shows and into ride lines.  Well, Nathan HATES stickers and the woman at guest relations put the sticker where Nathan could see it.  He immediately started screaming, "Get it off!  Get it off!"  Drew was the one to step in and say, "It's okay, Nathan.  We can move it, don't get upset, we'll fix it."

Occasionally Nathan will agree to
play video games with Drew, Drew loves it!
(Drew not only acts like the older brother, he is also taller than Nathan)

But Drew is also getting older, he's 8-years-old now, and is starting to get to a point where he might be a little embarrassed of Nathan's behavior.  Sometimes, when Nathan is excited, he will do what's called flapping or stimming.  He will run around in a circle, with his hands flailing, and making a high pitched gasping, squeaking sound.  When Nathan does this, Drew will now ask me in a low voice, "Mom, do you think people can tell Nathan has autism?"  Depending on what Nathan is doing, sometimes I will say yes, others I will say no- because sometimes, he just looks like an excited kid.

Drew looks out for Nathan and makes sure he's okay

Nathan was diagnosed with autism when Drew was just a few weeks old, so this has always been Drew's reality.  But I also feel bad for Drew.  He loves his brother so much and would love to play with him and have conversations with him.  Sometimes, Nathan does play and Drew loves it, but it usually doesn't last long.  And Nathan only likes to talk about what Nathan likes to talk about.  He will talk to Drew about video games, his dream tree house, geography and flags.  But if Drew starts to talk about something he's interested in, Nathan will just walk away.

Drew has always known how to make Nathan laugh

I am so proud of Drew, and how he explains autism to his friends, how he protects his brother, and his maturity and understanding.  But I also make sure to remind myself, he's a child.  He's not a third parent (despite what he thinks and how he acts!).  We are all so lucky to have Drew in our lives.  He has taught me more than I could ever teach him!

BFF's!