Raising A Young Man

RAISING A YOUNG MAN

INTERVIEW WITH TIMM CROCKER

Timm is the proud father to a 21 year old autistic son, Tre'von. I asked Timm what advice he could give to those of us with younger kids. His advice is spectacular.

For a new parents, he advises everyone to be patient and own your emotions. Don’t be afraid to cry, don’t bottle up your emotions. Find someone to talk too, even if they don’t fully understand. You need to find a good listener, not someone to give lots of advice. After we got the diagnosis, I went from sad to angry, and then sorry for myself, but I realized I had to fight for him. I reached a point where I started working with him and including him in everything.

Be prepared to make sacrifices, but never give up. Timm's son hated getting haircuts, so instead of traumatizing his son, Timm learned how to cut his hair. At first, Timm says "we all cried, and it would take 3 hours. Eventually if was 2 and half hours, then two, then faster. At some point it was no longer an issue. 10 years later he’s back in the barber shop."

You also have to push their limits. These kids are so smart, and they know what they can get away with, especially with different people. Treat them like any other kid or young adult. Just because they are nonverbal, does not mean they don’t understand.