First Day of School Survival

The first day of school always feels like a Big Deal. Some parents are posting perfectly staged photos of their kids in crisp outfits holding cute little chalkboard signs. Meanwhile, autism moms are just over here celebrating that everyone made it into the car wearing some form of clothing that isn’t pajamas.

Because let’s be real: the first day of school for us is a whole different sport.

The Morning Chaos

It starts with socks. Always socks. Too tight, too loose, too scratchy, too sock-like. Breakfast is another landmine. Wrong cereal? Cue meltdown. Wrong spoon? End of the world. By the time we’ve packed the backpack (with headphones, fidgets, extra snacks, and an emotional support water bottle), we deserve a medal.

The Drop-Off Tango

Other parents stroll up, hug their kids, and wave like they’re in a Hallmark commercial. Autism moms? We’re cornering the teacher with a rapid-fire info dump: preferred routines, sensory quirks, trigger words (“Please, whatever you do, don’t say moist”), and how to decode our kid’s version of “I’m fine.”

The Waiting Game

The hours between drop-off and pick-up feel like dog years. Did the teacher remember the headphones? Did anyone sit with them at lunch? Did they handle the fire drill announcement—or did the entire school now know about their love for dinosaurs in great detail?

The Pickup Plot Twist

Here’s the thing: you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes your child comes running out beaming, ready to tell you about their new best friend who also likes Minecraft. Other days, they collapse into the car seat like a soldier returning from battle. Both are normal. Both are victories.

The Truth

For autism moms, the first day of school isn’t about perfection. It’s about survival. It’s about sending our kids into a brand-new environment with all the tools and love we can give them—and hoping the world meets them halfway.

So if your kid made it through the day, high-five.

If you made it through the day, double high-five.

And if socks were worn at all, honestly, that’s a gold-star win.

Time to enjoy that celebratory glass of wine, just as soon as you finish the flawless first day of school bedtime routine.

💙🙌✨🦖⭐