Remember when the autism ribbon magnets came out? I do. I don’t recall how many years ago that was, but I got some right away, gave a few to relatives, kept a couple. We didn’t really think about the puzzle message back then, the “I am not a puzzle” outlook. And I totally get that; I do. But to me, it’s not the person that’s puzzling. I’m sure most parents feel that way. And definitely some kids.

Anyway, even though I always thought that the design was too busy and actually detracted from the message, I still sported one on the back of my car for several years, along with an “I love a person with autism” bumper sticker. As time went on, the bumper sticker peeled and faded considerably, but the magnet held strong. Years of car washes, storms, uncovered parking, and road trips (we take a lot of those) did not affect it. That thing was literally baked on.

And then, two months ago, I went through the car wash, the same car wash I’ve been going through for years, and the magnet came off. I went to a store after the car wash, and when I came back to the car in the parking lot, I noticed that the magnet was gone. Just a little black piece of it was left behind, still baked on.  I stood there for a moment, dejected. I always like to look for those whenever I’m driving and get a feeling of pride and a little excitement when I see one. And now mine is gone. Sure, I can easily get another one, but it won’t be my magnet, the one that has gone with us everywhere for the past seven years or something like that. I didn’t want to replace it with another one.

So I decided it was time for something new. Finally motivated, I got going on something that I’ve been thinking about doing for a while. I did some looking, tried out a few designs, and TA-DAH! I proudly present to you the all-new, puzzle-free Teen Autism bumper sticker!

Seeing my car without the iconic ribbon magnet took some getting used to. But I must admit that I like my cool new sticker even better!