I was in Walmart about a year ago with all four of my children. We had finished our shopping and were now waiting at checkout. My youngest was having a really hard time and was stimming, this is a repetitive behavior that he does to calm himself down. Well, he started spinning and was flapping his hands and I happened to be on the phone with a very supporting mom who also has a son on the Autistic Spectrum. We were talking about how aware we have to be with our children as they don't sense danger.
Well, It was that moment that my four year old decided he needed to crawl on the floor making cat sounds.He was trying to get to the cashier and scratch on her legs. I am thinking, boy, this line just can't move fast enough. I told my friend I had to go and tried to deal with calming my son down. There was a woman and her husband in front of me in line and a mother behind me and the lady behind me had a toddler that looked about the age of my son but he was sitting there quietly. Not my son, He was crawling on the floor meowing. The lady behind me was looking as if saying in her head, "Get control of that kid", She probably wasn't thinking that but at the time that was all I could think of.
Well, The lady in front of me looked at me and said, "I have dogs smarter than him." OMG... I could feel my blood boiling, the rage just building and I looked down at my adorable son who was now kneeling and flapping his hands, and I thought,"How can anyone judge him?" I took a deep breath and as calmly as I could I said,"Excuse me?? That is my son you are talking about. He is on the spectrum. It's not his fault." She said, "Oh, I thought it was someone else's kid."
What was really going through this woman's head? What gives her the right to talk about anyone's child that way? Comparing them to a dog? WTF... This was very appalling to me and it made me realize just how mean people can be and how happy I am that my son cannot understand and read these emotions like a typical child would.
I am glad that he is who he is and that he doesn't judge others. I think the best realization I had was that it is a cruel world but at times I wish my brain acted like my little boy. He is innocent, honest and forgiving. But, on the flip side it makes him very naive. How easy it is for someone to take advantage of him and decieve him. How do I protect him from that which he is unknown to? Well, the self control that I managed to obtain that day was amazing. In my head I had beat the woman to the ground but in reality I was just in shock that she could be so blunt and unbelievably ignorant to make such an appalling comment.
Well, It was that moment that my four year old decided he needed to crawl on the floor making cat sounds.He was trying to get to the cashier and scratch on her legs. I am thinking, boy, this line just can't move fast enough. I told my friend I had to go and tried to deal with calming my son down. There was a woman and her husband in front of me in line and a mother behind me and the lady behind me had a toddler that looked about the age of my son but he was sitting there quietly. Not my son, He was crawling on the floor meowing. The lady behind me was looking as if saying in her head, "Get control of that kid", She probably wasn't thinking that but at the time that was all I could think of.
Well, The lady in front of me looked at me and said, "I have dogs smarter than him." OMG... I could feel my blood boiling, the rage just building and I looked down at my adorable son who was now kneeling and flapping his hands, and I thought,"How can anyone judge him?" I took a deep breath and as calmly as I could I said,"Excuse me?? That is my son you are talking about. He is on the spectrum. It's not his fault." She said, "Oh, I thought it was someone else's kid."
What was really going through this woman's head? What gives her the right to talk about anyone's child that way? Comparing them to a dog? WTF... This was very appalling to me and it made me realize just how mean people can be and how happy I am that my son cannot understand and read these emotions like a typical child would.
I am glad that he is who he is and that he doesn't judge others. I think the best realization I had was that it is a cruel world but at times I wish my brain acted like my little boy. He is innocent, honest and forgiving. But, on the flip side it makes him very naive. How easy it is for someone to take advantage of him and decieve him. How do I protect him from that which he is unknown to? Well, the self control that I managed to obtain that day was amazing. In my head I had beat the woman to the ground but in reality I was just in shock that she could be so blunt and unbelievably ignorant to make such an appalling comment.
