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A $26 connection to your child

AutismFather a posted 19 hours ago

Autcraft works well because children have other children that are just like them to interact with. No fear of bullies, no fear of judgment... they all accept each other for who they are.

What most people forget to talk about or might not even realize is that it also provides a very real connection and bonding experience between many children and their own parents.

We have had many parents tell us that they have never really had a "work well together" experience with their children quite like they do on Autcraft. They build together, explore together, play mini-games together and even make all new friends together. Many of the things that parents thought they'd either never get or would still need to wait a long time for... as their children get older.

Minecraft itself provides much of this as I read often about parents learning how to play so that they can join their children. It's a really great bonding experience and it's tons of fun too. So you don't really even need Autcraft for that but Autcraft will help with expanding that bond to including other new friendships.

Now, granted, it is technically much more than $26 as it requires you to have at least 2 computers... which not everyone does. But, if you do have access to a computer and have yet to join in, what I'm saying is that $26 is really a very small price to pay to do something truly meaningful and fun with your child(ren).

(and no, Mojang isn't paying me to tell you to pay for their game, altho they really should. lol)

Don't just take my word for it. I'm writing this because it's what I've learned from so many parents that have told me how much it's meant to them.

If "that video game is something I'll never understand" or "that's not my type of thing" or other similar thinking is what's holding you back... I suggest you just take the plunge anyway. It's not as complicated or strange as you might think. And it's what your child loves.

It's your child. It's worth it.

- AF

PS. If you are a parent playing with your child(ren) on Autcraft or just in Minecraft in general, please share your story. Has it helped? Are you closer?

comments

pandarulers229 That's like what me and my family did DCC o_O

DiamondChpCookie When sigmacpt first showed an interest in the game I thought to myself 'no way will I ever play that game' Over time I ...

It's March Break!!!

AutismFather a posted Sun at 14:25

Well, it is for many people. For some it'll be next week. For others, they're not even in school.

But where I am, my kids are off for the week so that's good enough for me!

If your children are off and wanting to spend more time on Autcraft throughout the week, we'll make it a little easier to get some things from the Autcraft donation shop with 25% off everything in the shop!

Be sure to use the coupon code before you complete the purchase.

comments

LadyCath a If we had an office... I imagine that is what it'd look like.... lol

pandarulers229 Mine is the last week of March. ;-;

Nice Guys Finish Last vs Paying it Forward

AutismFather a posted Tue at 10:46

There is this belief that in order to succeed, or win the race, you need to be greedy and cut throat and mean enough to step on other people to do it. If you're not, if you're the nice guy, you won't ever win.

The thing is, no ever says what race they're running. Or what they get if they win! And because no one ever says what it is that people automatically assume that it's money or fame or success in business somehow... like they'd become the CEO of the next big thing.

I'm here to tell you right now that success is not defined by how much money you make, how popular you become or what title you get to put in front of your name. We strive for those things because we believe that if people see that in us... they'll think we're important. And we all want to feel important.

I run a different race. I don't care about any of that. I need to make enough money to pay my bills and I'm happy. I don't care if anyone knows who I am and I really don't want a fancy title. That only adds a lot of stress and work on you.

For me, to see a child on Autcraft say "when I grow up, I want to be like AutismFather and help autistic children"... I've won the race. I did what I set out to do. And not because he admires me or thinks of me as if I'm famous but because inspiring other people to want to help other people is how I define success. I am successful when I see that happen.

Paying It Forward, if you're not familiar with the term, is the act of doing something nice for someone and then that someone goes off to do something nice for someone else... that someone else then goes off to do something nice for yet another person and it continues onward, hopefully, forever.

I live my life by that ideal. Not that I need anyone to do something nice for me before I would do something nice for someone else but that I want to start that cycle with everyone I meet. I want to be the one that helps a person and has them go off to "pay it forward" with someone else.

I love to hear that children on the server want to start servers of their own and help kids too, or grow up to become an advocate or a specialist or something that gives them the ability to help more people and in better ways than I ever could.

How can anyone ever try to make me feel like I finished last when so many people are inspired to help others just like I did? How can anyone ever say that is not a success?

The biggest fear is, and this is what happens most often, is that people struggle along the way and start to think "that's great but what about me?" And to be fair, a child wanting to be like me doesn't help me pay my rent.

When you help so many others, when you make it your life to inspire others to give each person you meet a reason to go forth and pay it forward to someone else, that doesn't just give you a warm fuzzy feeling, it gives those people someone to talk about.

In my case, I received and email from Nathan Adams (aka, Dinnerbone), I had a good long discussion with TerasHD (popular youtuber), another good discussion with Glis6 (another popular Youtuber and professional Minecraft builder) and I even heard rumours that my name was brought up in a discussion with Hypixel, the man that started and owns the Hypixel server.... all in one day!!

Before that, PSJ made a rare visit to a server he's never been on before, because I invited him. Autism Speaks listed us as a top 10 autism story of 2013!

Does any of this make me rich or famous or give me an important title? No, but it's recognition, it's reputation and it's... special. It means a lot to me. And it's just the start.

And why? Because I asked for it? No. Because I'm making lots of money or I'm famous? No. It's because I'm the nice guy that doesn't think that I need to finish first. I'm the nice guy who believes that there's no possible way I could finish last.

Stop dreaming of fame and fortune and start dreaming of who you can inspire to be the next person to pay it forward. Rethink what success means to you and do what you are passionate about and when it gets hard, when you start to think that it's not worth it and you just want to give up because nice guys always finish last... all those people that you touched with your kindness will find a way to let you know that you are running a great race. You aren't last and you aren't finished yet.

When you define what success means to you and you strive for that... the only way you can finish last is to give up.

Nice guys will always have people to stand by them and make sure that giving up is never an option.

I am autistic and I am different

AutismFather a posted Feb 27, 14

Over the last 8 months, I've written about anxiety, we've had admins take breaks due to anxiety and of course, we've witnessed children in game as their anxiety would build and build until eventually there was a meltdown or they'd rage quit.

I know about it and I recognize it and I devise ways to manage and even deal with it and help others as best I can.

But over the last 2 months, with Autism Speaks covering us, with us building new worlds, removing the old world, resetting inventories and so much more going on, it occurred to me... anxiety is something that I've never experienced before.

It's one of those things where you just go through life and don't think about but as I was talking to some others recently, I realized that I really don't have any personal experience with it myself. Even in the most chaotic moments of my life when those around me felt that if they were dealing with what I was dealing with, they'd have had a "mental breakdown". I didn't. I was tired but I just did the best I could day by day and didn't understand why they were so insistent that I'd "lose it" eventually.

While on the phone with my mother recently, I mentioned this to her. She thought about it and agreed, throughout my entire life, she couldn't think of a time when I would have experienced anxiety. Certainly I had gotten upset over things as a child and so forth but no anxiety attacks or anything.

Now, you might think this is a blessing. Not having to deal with anxiety when things get hard should make things a lot easier right? Well, sort of. Again, I have no real experience with it but I can't help but think that anxiety can serve a purpose as it greatly reinforces the sense of urgency in you. The sense that something in your life needs fixing.

There's also another flip side to this. I don't get excited about things. My ex-wife used to get quite upset with me, often telling people that she could buy my favorite car for me and surprise me with it and the most I'd probably give her is "that's great. Thanks."

Imagine never getting excited about something. Actually, I'm not sure you can. Just as I will never truly understand why or how someone could have so much anxiety that it renders them numb or paralyzed. I do my best to be understanding and even write about it but if I am to be completely honest with you, it will never truly make any sense to me because I can't imagine what that could be like.

Why am I telling you this?

Many people lose their patience with autistics or any individuals that are just different in some way. That's because people will never really understand how someone can not feel a certain way if everyone else does. They'll never really comprehend what it is that's going through the mind of someone if they don't react or behave the way that others, as what we perceive as human nature, obviously would.

Did others ever clue in that I never had anxiety? No. Even myself, as strange as it seemed to me, never really put much thought into it. Did others clue in to me not getting excited about the things they did or what they did for me? Oh yes. To the point of getting upset or frustrated with me.

Would it make a difference if they knew that it's just not something that is a part of me? Maybe, for some. But again, to most, it's human nature and thus, just not natural otherwise. So it makes no sense. They'll never understand it. They'll just continue thinking that it's not right.

It's extremely difficult... very very difficult... to put aside that feeling and remind yourself that maybe that person, whether it's your child, other family member, friend or person you just happen to know, may not feel or think the way you do. Not just electing to be different but on a very physical and tangible level, is different.

When it's so ingrained into us that people react certain ways but this one person isn't, it's something we must be constantly vigilant about. Something that we must constantly remind ourselves of.

If I'm not excited about something and you get frustrated at me, perhaps you've forgotten to keep reminding yourself that it's just how I am and that it doesn't make me any less happy or appreciative... just different.

If someone you know feels things more strongly, not at all or in any other way than what you think a person should, maybe it's a phase but maybe, it's just how they are. Maybe they'll just always be that way and as contrary as it is to what you've always thought is "normal" for people, you have to keep reminding yourself that differences come in all shapes and sizes and that those people don't do it just to frustrate you.

You don't have to understand how or why someone feels/thinks the way they do, just that it's different from you and that's ok. That's what acceptance is.

comments

alleny2002 why am I in jail

UnbearableMe true

Asking questions privately

AutismFather a posted Feb 25, 14

Dear Parents, if your child is muted, jailed, banned or anything else is going on that you would like to ask us about, I advise that you send us a private message either using the application that you sent in or you can even go to an admin's profile and message them there.

My profile has a message button near the top right: http://www.autcraft.com/profile/6702099

It's not that we try to hide anything but we feel that some things are nobodies business but yours, the players and ours. The other players have no need to know if a bad word was said, a fight started, someone griefed or what ever else may have happened.

Many times it was an accident or a misunderstanding and we'd hate for any of the other players to judge your child or think negatively of them for something they had no need to know about in the first place.

We do the same in game. If someone is banned, everyone asks why. We tell them not to worry about it, let the admins handle it. When someone is in jail, other players go and ask them what they did. We advice those players not to bother them as they wouldn't want everyone knowing what they did wrong either.

Even when someone's house gets griefed, their first question is "who did it?" We do not give out that information. We will talk to that other player, jail them if necessary and even contact their parents if it's become a problem but the victim of the griefing is only looking for someone to blame and someone to be mad at.

We are trying to teach them that anger and revenge are not necessary. We can fix things, we can make things better and we can make sure that the person that did it knows not to do it again and no one needs to get mad.

Plus, as I said, sometimes it's an accident or a misunderstanding in which case, anger and revenge would be the last thing we'd ever want to let happen.

Again, please use the private messaging, send us a private message on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/autcraftserver or email me at stuart@autcraft.com

We are happy to answer all your questions and give as many details as possible but we'd rather not do it publicly if we can avoid it at all.

We hope you understand.

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