Dear 50 Cent

Dear 50 Cent, You took my breath away today. I have no ill feelings toward you. We have no beef. But you hurt me. I was taking a moment for myself, reading twitter and Facebook. I was so relaxed and then I read your tweet. "You look autistic." My four children are autistic. They can speak and interact socially. They love music. They are gorgeous. We've had many people ask us to start modeling careers for them. we didn't choose that road. We choose to spend 135 hours a week with therapists in our home. Things that you take for granted-like swallowing and smiling, we had to teach our children. I forgive you for your ignorance to what autism actually is; I honestly don't believe that you meant any harm. I ask that you think before you use the power of words. Words can have so much power-I know because I waited over 2 1/2 years to hear the word, "Ma." I watched in horror as one of my daughters lost her ability to speak during a regression and work constantly to speak again. Words have power. I'm writing this letter so that you can hear another voice, so you can understand how hurtful your words were to parents that work tirelessly to remove the stigma associated with their children's diagnosis. Sincerely, A Proud Mom