What a cutie

As we were leaving the school yesterday, my son in the stroller, my daughter walking beside me, and me on the phone with my dad, we came upon a little boy standing on the sidewalk whose mom was trying to get him and his sibling in a van. He was a cute kid. Then he stuck his hand out in front of him, looked at my son and yelled, "Stop!!!" Two or three times. So I did. I wasn't worried as to why he needed us to stop; he just looked kind of worried I'd run over him or get in his space. After he was sure we weren't going to hit him, he took his time and got in the van. I wasn't bothered or hassled by this -- we weren't in a hurry and all kids have their quirks.

His mom looked a bit frazzled and embarrassed and felt the need to apologize and explain. "Sorry! Autism."

I said, "Oh, he's just fine!"

Now, I've been thinking about it since we got to our car and got in. I could tell someone somewhere along the way hasn't been very understanding, maybe multiple someones. And I'm wishing I'd stopped and said, "Hang on," to my dad, so I could give her a hug and tell her what a good job she was doing.

So if you're the parent, caregiver, or loved one of a special needs child, consider this my virtual hug to you. You are doing an amazing job with your babies, doing one of the hardest jobs in the world. You have my admiration and respect, but more importantly, the love of your child.