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Chapter 3: Creating a Safe World for Noah: A Father's Journey · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

• 0:05
  Welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin. This is Ariel Santana.
• 0:09
  Can you believe I'm seven years old already? I'm old enough now to introduce my dad.
• 0:15
  Ladies and gentlemen, your host, my dad, Angel Santana.
• 0:22
  Two thousand came and the spark was lit. A testimony raw, it wouldn't quit.
• 0:27
  It's mother's voice, a guiding thread.
• 0:55
  Hello everyone and welcome back to Have Faith, Let It Begin.
• 0:58
  My name is Angel Santana and we are in this series as we Autism Awareness Month.
• 1:05
  Today is chapter 3, Creating a Safe World for Noah.
• 1:11
  Well, today I want to talk about something that came very real for me and it was very quickly.
• 1:16
  And it's not the diagnosis, but what came after it. How do I create a world
• 1:21
  that feels safe for my son?
• 1:25
  Because once you've moved past the appointments, once the conversations are
• 1:30
  over, you're back home and that's where it hits you.
• 1:34
  This isn't a moment, this isn't, this is a lifestyle and I remember sitting
• 1:40
  there thinking, okay, what now?
• 1:42
  What does he need from me right now? Not next year, not someday, right now.
• 1:49
  And what I started to realize very slowly is that this wasn't about figuring out autism first.
• 1:57
  It was about learning Noah, what calms him, what overwhelms him,
• 2:03
  what brings him joy, what makes him feel safe.
• 2:07
  And I got to be honest, there was a lot of trial and error. some days you feel
• 2:13
  like you've got it right and other days you're just trying to make it through the day,
• 2:21
  There's this quiet pressure that comes with it too. The pressure to get it right,
• 2:26
  to create the perfect environment, to respond the right way,
• 2:30
  to not miss anything important.
• 2:33
  And I found myself thinking, what if I get this wrong?
• 2:37
  Not out of fear, but out of love. Because when you love your child that much,
• 2:44
  you want to do everything right for them.
• 2:47
  But something started to shift in me. when I realized it's not about being perfect.
• 2:52
  It's about being present. It's about showing up, paying attention,
• 2:58
  adjusting when needed, and loving them through every moment,
• 3:02
  even the ones you don't fully understand yet.
• 3:05
  And this is where my faith really grounded me, because I had to let go of control.
• 3:11
  I had to trust that I didn't need all the answers at once,
• 3:15
  just needed to take the step and I definitely needed to take the next step and
• 3:20
  trust that God would never ever leave me and trust that God would meet me there,
• 3:27
  in the learning, in the adjusting, in the growing.
• 3:31
  If you're in this part right now of this journey as a parent trying to figure
• 3:36
  out how to create the safe space, take your time.
• 3:40
  You don't have to have it all figured out today.
• 3:43
  Learn your child. Be present. That's where it starts.
• 3:48
  Tomorrow, we're going to talk about chapter four. We're going to talk about
• 3:52
  something we don't always say out loud.
• 3:54
  How this journey can affect your marriage. And how to stay strong together.
• 4:00
  I'll talk to you tomorrow. And never forget, have faith, let it begin.