So many parents spend their time mulling over in their head whether or not they are doing a good job as a parent. Whether they are doing right by their children and are making the best choices for them.
This is especially so when they are tired and worn out and feel like they just can’t go on.
The guilt they feel over not being at 100 percent after a long day of feedings, chaperoning, and temper tantrums can be a great burden when you’re unable to give yourself a break for not being perfect.
Jamie Mathews Heustess was having one of those days. She was doing the best that she could but still felt that it just wasn’t good enough.
Her son Ian has autism and was completely spent after a long day.
They had settled down to have some dinner when he had a meltdown. It was so bad that Jamie’s husband Chris had to head home with their son. At that moment, Jaime felt defeated as a parent.
She knew what a good little boy her son was and didn’t want others in the restaurant to think that her son was acting out because she is a bad parent or that her son is just a brat.
So, she completely broke down and started to cry and later shared her experience on Facebook.
“I had a good cry walking out of our local Cracker Barrel in Pooler, Ga this evening…I had posted earlier about the trials and adventures of trying to have a dinner out when you have a child with autism. It is truly hit or miss…most days we do ok,” she wrote.
But that day was not one of those days. Ian was having a meltdown over not getting the toy he wanted.
Thankfully the compassionate gesture of a stranger helped to cheer her up.
“After Chris and Ian left, our waitress came to ask if we were ordering. This was probably her 5th or 6th time stopping by the table…I said yes, a to go order, just for me. She asked if my husband or son wanted anything and I said no, my husband took our son home to reduce stimuli around him,” Jaime explained. “I told her Ian was autistic and had had a long day, awards, karate, Wal-Mart…. His breaking point was the Nemo/Dory toy-that was neither of those characters.”
Her server offered to speedily get her to-go meal to accommodate Jaime.
“By this time I was crying and having a moment, not because I was embarrassed that my son is autistic, but because he is a good kid and I didn’t want anyone to think he was just a spoiled kid being a brat. Our server was gracious and sweet. She said it was not a problem, that she would get my order in quickly,” Jaime recalled.
She had no idea that her server would go even further out of her way to ease her stress.
“I sat quietly and made a post to my page about the realities of autism that you never quite know until you experience it. About 15 minutes later, out comes my server with my bag of dinner. She smiled and told me that my dinner had been taken care of, no need for payment,” Jaime recalled.
It was then that the waitress’ kindness was extended even further.
“I started crying all over again. I asked if she was sure and she reassured me it was taken care of, not to worry. I cried walking out, sure the other customers and employees thought I was crazy. There was a piece of paper stapled to my bag, I thought it wad the receipt…..no…. it was something far more precious. In the midst of my own meltdown, she reached out with words of encouragement and a kind heart. I am very thankful.”
Many people ended up sharing Jaime’s post and applauded the waitresses efforts for being a shining example of the goodness of humanity.
“What a beautiful waitress and kudos to her manager for making it possible without her footing the whole bill,” said one commenter on Facebook. “Wonderful mother and father for knowing when to remove Ian from a frustrating situation. Stories like this are what makes America Great!”
You can see Jaime’s original post below.
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I had a good cry walking out of our local Cracker Barrel in Pooler, Ga this evening…I had posted earlier about the…
Posted by Jamie Mathews Heustess onFriday, April 21, 2017
