What is blind love? Do people confuse being blinded by love (which often infers a romantic element) to true blind love? Being blinded by love typically results in a person not recognizing areas of caution or concern due to overwhelming levels of infatuation. When these areas of concern are ultimately recognized, the relationship often results in a tragic ending. Conversely, Blind Love recognizes all imperfections and limitations immediately.
Blind Love most often exists between a parent and their child – especially children with special needs. The love I have for both my sons is unconditional. I love them when they are good. I love them when they are bad. I love them at times of praises and I love them during times of consequences/punishment. With that said…..although the love for both my boys is unconditional, the love for my youngest son could probably be considered Blind Love.
My eldest son is an incredible young man with an incredibly bright future. He will begin his senior year of college this fall. He is working in Washington DC this summer interning for a Congresswoman. He is humble, respectful, loving and has a lot to offer society (needless to say, I may be biased in my opinion). My youngest son is an incredible boy with an incredibly unknown future. He is bright and hardworking but has his struggles. He is humble, loving, and respectful and has a lot to offer society in his own way. My youngest son is Autistic.
Where there exists Autism…….there exist Blind Love. Actions, statements, and behaviors in a normal loving relationship are premeditated and often include an underlining meaning. Actions, statements, and behaviors in a loving Autistic relationship often come with no meaning.
Therefore, Bind Love allows us to enjoy the journey of Autism (while ignoring what might be viewed by an outsider as questionable behavior). Autism is not an event. Autism is not a destination. Autism is truly a journey. The best analogy of the Autism journey would probably be the song “The River” by Garth Brooks.
The Autism journey is like a river ever changing as it flows. As a parent (or even a sibling) we cannot get frustrated but simply follow where the river flows (and advance your child’s skills/abilities where ever possible). There will always be rough waters and we will all take some emotional bumps and bruises during the journey. We constantly try to learn from the experiences behind us, but we never truly know what’s in store ahead. Needless to say, this makes every day a constant battle just to stay afloat and keep him advancing forward. 
We may not know the ultimate destination of our son’s abilities, but he will never reach his destination unless we try. Our Blind Love for our son not only makes the journey of Autism tolerable, but it also allows us to look at life’s events through a different set of eyes. What once may have debilitated us, now gives us strength. Although sadness and grief still occur (sometimes more frequently than with a typical child), we recover quicker.
But, the true blessing of Blind Love for my son is the Joy and Humor we now recognize in our lives through everyday events.
Husband, father, coffee connoisseur and lover of all things hockey. At 51 I sometimes wonder have I done enough. I have been married to my best friend for 30 years. She knows all my faults and loves me anyway, As a father of “almost always” perfect boys, I am always surprised at what life has to offer. It is messy, scary, thrilling, and always fun.
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