My son Tim is autistic and he's five years old and can't communicate great. He only knows a little bit of talking. He echoes us a little bit. My husband and I learned sign language to talk to him. The other day he was on the couch and I said to him, "Mr. Kogen! Mr. Kogen! Get down, please!" and he tried and said his last name too.

When I found out I had bipolar, I was upset. I knew I had something beforehand, but I didn't know what.

It makes raising a child really hard, so I need to remember how to be a perfect and good mom. That's why I made this list.

Ten ways how I'm a good mom to Tim:
1. I try my best so Tim has good mealtimes every day.
2. I dress Tim in clean correct clothes to go to school or hang out inside the house.
3. I try to keep an eye on his health so he's fine and not sick. We make sure he has a dry diaper before school and his shoes are clean, too. I don't want him to look like a slob.
4. I always try to play with him with his toys a lot. I like to read to him at story time. We always read two or three good books before he goes to bed. His favorite is Winnie the Pooh.
5. I always try to keep my cool when he drives me crazy. Sometimes it's hard to do that.
6. I try to get him gifts like new stuff, tapes, or books. He rips and tears and chews on the books because he likes to put stuff in his mouth. He does it for attention or because he can't get the words out. The only two words he can get out really good are "mommy" and "daddy."
7. I show him how to brush his teeth before he goes to school or goes to bed. He only opens his mouth a crack. I have to say, "Open, sweetheart, open, sweetheart."
8. I keep his skin nice and soft. I put cream on it for the winter.
9. I try to teach him to eat with a spoon and a fork.
10. I try to keep him busy swimming or with his family on the weekends.

AMY KOGEN