ANGEL: She understands autism
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 15 years, 4 months AGO
My children and I were shopping at a Coeur d'Alene store a few weeks ago. My son, who has autism, was playing with the toys in the toy aisle, when I told him it was time to go. He was a little disappointed when he did not get to take his toy with him.
We were up by the cash registers, getting ready to leave, when a woman approached us. She stated that she had bought this toy (she was holding it in her hands) for my son. She said she had watched him play with it in the aisle, and thought he might like to have it. She said that she had lost a son, like mine (autistic), and she "understands."
She has no idea how much that meant to me and my son, as well as my other children who were with us. My son gave her a hug, with a huge smile on his face! She quickly left the store, with tears in her eyes, and I was not able to catch her name.
Her act of kindness on that day restored my faith in the community. For years, we have endured the scowls on faces, the whispering, the pointing, the accusations of having poor parenting skills, and she made that all melt away.
April is Autism Awareness Month. Please take the time to learn about autism, how to support those people in our community, and most of all... please be understanding and supportive. Bless our Angel!
LAURIE LOEW
Coeur d'Alene