Through the Windshield

The World I Hope My Child Grows Up In

This article is a fictionalized piece inspired by common lived experiences and perspectives shared within the FASD community. It was written to encourage understanding, compassion, and conversation around stigma and support.

I hope my child grows up in a world where people ask questions before making assumptions.

A world where a diagnosis does not become the only thing people see.

I hope they grow up around teachers who understand that behaviour often has meaning underneath it.
Friends who are patient.
Employers who recognize strengths instead of only challenges.
Communities that make room for different ways of learning, thinking, and functioning.

And honestly, I hope for a world with less judgment for families like ours too.

A world where birth mothers are not immediately reduced to stereotypes or assumptions.
Where people understand that life is complicated, people are human, and no story can be fully understood from the outside looking in.

I hope for a world where women feel safe enough to ask questions, seek support, and be honest without fear of shame.

Because stigma helps no one.

It does not improve outcomes.
It does not heal families.
It does not create better futures.

Support does.

Understanding does.

Compassion does.

I hope my child grows up in a world where needing accommodations is not viewed as failure.
Where asking for help is seen as strength.
Where differences are not automatically judged as problems that need to be hidden.

I hope they grow up knowing they are more than a diagnosis.
More than someone else’s assumptions.
More than the hardest moments we have lived through.

Because they are.

They are creative.
Funny.
Persistent.
Capable of growth.
Worthy of connection, opportunity, and dignity.

And maybe the future starts with small things.

A little more patience.
A little less blame.
More listening.
More learning.
More willingness to understand experiences that may be different from our own.

I cannot rewrite the past, but I can keep showing up for the future.

And I believe that future is possible.