With my last shipment I got this meme sticker with a guy putting a stick -labeled life- into his bike he sits on. This held so much truth that I go the idea to say thank you. I would like to express my deep gratefulness that JimmyJoy exists; it helps me through many days a week.
During the last one and a half years we had to see and accept that our older daughter is affected within the autism spectrum. She is almost seven years old now. Over time things got worse and the combination of all little and large issues, fears, conflicts, tears, drama and mental meltdowns binds so so much time and energy that my wife and I are incredibly happy that we can have a shake or a bar when needed. We still do our best to cook for our two kids but honestly this is limited and does not work as well as we wish it would. Our difficult and painful fragile family situation often prevents us, from eating together at a table. Due to JimmyJoy and Jake we save time and still get some healthy food, which is really helpful.
Unfortunately my wifeās body does react negatively to soy (& too much histamin), hence she is regularly buying large amounts of shake from your competitor Jake. I wish that would be unneeded and we still hope for the day that JimmyJoy has a soy-free product. Just every aspect works so much better here. The shopping experience, the explanations, the science backed information, the customer service, the subscription management (at least nowadays ), the communication and finally the taste as well.
Thank you and please stay in business for many more years.
Mort, thank you so much for taking the time and effort to post this, we appreciate it very much.
The situation you paint is clearly not ideal, we are so sorry to hear about it but on the other hand it sounds like your daughter is in the best hands possible.
It is lovely to hear that our products allow you to save some time and eat healthy through the hectics that must be your day.
We are grateful to be able to make a difference in a situation like this and you guys are of course very very very welcome.
On the part of the soy-free request, I will make sure that is put forward and lands on the right desks, fingers crossed we will be able to offer it for the future. In the meantime, weāre just happy to hear you at least found something that works for her, even if thatās with a competitor of course.
We have no plans of stopping, so we hope to be in you guysā corner for a long time coming.
I donāt say this to hurt you, but because it is important:
I am autistic. I am also not handicapped. I understand this is still new and difficult to accept, especially when it involves your own child, but please donāt treat autistic people like they are affected by an illness or handicapped. Itās also a little hurtful reading she makes your family difficult, painful and fragile, for being who she is. Please, be careful how you phrase and act towards her and others, because she knows. She feels it. I got my diagnosis too late in life, so suffered a lot for being the ādifficultā child in our family dynamic - which in turn made things worse. I am still a broken person at 32 years old.
Tips: It would have helped me so much if I had had things to cope with sensory overload, was not being forced to partake in (too) many afterschool activities, and had more recharging and alone time, especially on vacation. If there are problems with eating, maybe involve her in the meal planning, shopping and/or cooking process. Does she have any special interests? You can bond over her telling you about it, maybe there are related activities for her or you guys together to do. If you sense uncomfortability or a meltdown, try and remove her from the situation, ask her what would help (if she is still able). Sometimes a hug would have fixed so many problems in our family instead of force, blaming and yelling. I hope you have some guidance from a licensed psychologist, if not, I would recommend so. Good luck!
I use JJ because of my executive function, energy and sensory issues, and it is a godsend for that.
PS: I donāt know if you are in any parenting groups for autistic children, but mostly they are horrible. I would try to interact with and ask advice from people who are actually autistic.
Lots of respect for what parents like you manage every single day @mort
Iāve worked with supported living accommodations for people with high needs autism and Iām always struck by how the parents are coping with so much, but also how much love is there holding it together.
Also recently watched a BBC drama called āThere She Goesā. Itās about the family of a girl with a chromosome disorder which presents similarly to severe autism. I know a lot of families felt very seen after watching so thought Iād recommend it! https://youtu.be/zdmVnFs4rao?si=9fcHCXdStzoBOkNv
Glad we all have meal replacements for when things get too much!
@Dawndella
Thank you for your point of view on this topic.
Iām aware that this is a product forum that covers the topic of JimmyJoy products and not an autism board but still I would like to place my point of view next to yours. I wonāt dive deep into a possible discussion, though.
First of all, Iām not a native English speaker and finding the right words in a sensitive topic is a difficult but important task. So please keep in mind that I might use better matching words in German than in English.
The bandwidth of autism spectrum disorder is a broad range and people and their life do surely vary a lot within that range. Thus, obviously I can talk about what we experience but not about anyone else.
When I use the word handicapped, I would have used the word āBehinderungā in German, which has the word āto hinderā in its core. That is exactly what we experience. This condition hinders our daughter from experiencing many things, e.g. to explore the world in a way she would like to do so herself. Right now it also hinders our whole family in living a life that feels positive and enjoyable in all aspects, explicitly including this daughter. This struggle is not the fault of anyone but simply an observation. This condition, which is indeed no illness in any kind, leads to many suffering moments for her and the rest of us.
I will not dive into the description and classification of the topics according to ICD-10 or ICD-11, because it will lead us nowhere here.
The point is, I totally understand your message and your wish to us. You have the wish that we accept our daughter as she is and try to help her as much as possible in a way that is addressing her personal needs. You wish that we find a positive constructive handling with each other that is not neglecting her personality. Please believe me when I say we truly do our best in doing so.
The last 1,5 years was a rough ride and we learned a lot and of course we still learn every day. We are well aware of quite different needs of different family members. Our tough job as parents is the continuous challenge to fulfill these needs as best as possible for everyone.
Thanks for explaining! If you compare it to your German words and descriptions, I certainly understand the language you used better, and it is also how I experience it.
I am happy that you are accepting of her and look out for your family as much as you can! I hope maybe some of my tips may take another edge off for things you are currently experiencing or may do in the future, and possibly there are things she may naturally grow out of.
), the communication and finally the taste as well.
