Things are not always what they seem

Perhaps one of my biggest struggles with raising JJ is handling the remarks of others when we are out and about. JJ is one of those kids that looks perfectly normal and when we are out people are always commenting on his behavior. He just looks like a normal kid who is bad instead of a child with autism. At least once a week I have a complete stranger comment on his behavior. My favorite (or I should say most angering) was at christmas time when a complete stranger thought it was appropriate to tell my son that Santa was not going to bring him presents if he didn't start acting like a good boy. People are always horrified when I let him hang off the edge of the cart as i mad dash through the grocery store trying to get food for dinner.

Part of me understands where these people are coming from 10 years ago I would have looked at a mom with a screaming kid in the store and thought "my children will not behave like that". I have gained understanding. I have learned that things are not always what they seem and living a life of grace and understanding for others is part of being human. In the future I will open the door for the woman with the screaming child having a tantrum instead of handing her the latest Dobson book. Hopefully if you read this you will gain understanding too and realize we are not helping the child by judging it.

How do I protect my son from a world that doesn't understand? A grocery store that doesn't understand and worse yet a church that does not know how to cope with him!! It takes a village to raise a child and unfortunately the village does not know how to handle autism. They just want to label him as a bad kid. This makes me wonder how many kids in the past who were the "bad kids" really just didn't understand..........