Letting Go of Guilt: What One Mom Learned Raising a Child With Autism

When Parenthood Doesn’t Go as Planned

I’ve talked to a lot of people about the moments that reshape everything. Those forks in the road when life suddenly feels unfamiliar. Talking with Jennifer Celeste Briggs reminded me that sometimes the biggest shift is not about doing more. It’s about releasing what we thought we had to be.

Jennifer always knew she wanted to be a mom. It was part of her identity from the time she was five years old. But when her daughter Sarah was born with special needs, the dream started to look very different. There were therapies, feeding challenges, unanswered questions, and a quiet voice in her head that asked, “What if this is my fault?”

What happened next became the foundation for a whole new way of living and loving.

Rewriting the Story Through Love

When Sarah was four, Jennifer decided to train in the Son-Rise Program. It’s a child-led, connection-based approach to supporting kids with autism. Instead of trying to change or correct, the program invites parents and caregivers to join their child’s world with curiosity and joy.

She called it the “Sarah-Rise” program. And it was more than a method. It was a mindset shift. For years, Jennifer had been carrying invisible bricks of guilt, always trying to do more, to fix something that didn’t need fixing. The Son-Rise training gave her language, tools, and something even more important. It gave her permission.

"Those bricks fell away because I was suddenly given permission to just really love her," she told me. That sentence stopped me. Because we don’t often realize how heavy the guilt is until we put it down.

The Gift of Community

Jennifer didn’t do it alone. And maybe that’s one of the biggest lessons. She sent out an email to friends and connections, asking if anyone wanted to help her with Sarah’s program. The responses came pouring in.

Volunteers started showing up. Some spent time with Sarah. Others helped with Jennifer’s younger daughter, Amy. There were team meetings. Shared goals. Moments of celebration over the smallest milestones. A whole community formed around this little girl who just wanted to play and connect in her own way.

That level of support didn’t just change Sarah’s world. It changed Jennifer too. It showed her what love in action looks like. It reminded her that asking for help can be an act of strength, not weakness.

Finding Peace in the Unscripted Life

I asked Jennifer if she would change anything. Maybe start the program earlier? Try something different? She paused and said she used to wonder that too. But not anymore.

She wouldn’t change Sarah. She wouldn’t rewrite their path. Because everything they’ve built together is rooted in love, not perfection. And that love has spread to every volunteer, every family member, every person who has crossed their path.

Sarah may not follow the rules that the world expects. But she lights up rooms, surprises people with her humor, and lives fully in her own way. And Jennifer has learned to see her daughter’s brilliance without needing it to look like anyone else’s.

This conversation reminded me that the lives we think we’re supposed to have often get replaced with the lives we actually need. And when we give ourselves permission to love what is, we make space for real connection to grow.

To hear the full story, listen to Jennifer’s episode on The Life Shift Podcast at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com.