When we see a parent in public who is dealing with an unruly child, like it or not, most of us don’t think about helping, we think about what we would do in order to make the situation better. If we are honest, it’s unhelpful and doesn’t take into account the other parent or even the needs of the child who is being unruly.
For one man, it was clear that he understood what was going on and decided to step in in the most amazing way possible.
Natalie Fernando is a mom that has been running a personal blog on Facebook detailing her life with her autistic children. It’s called, “Better to be Different.”
The day-to-day of having a child with special needs is something that many people are incredibly curious about or can relate to. Natalie’s blog is a detailed account that goes through the highs AND the lows of living with her kids. Even more incredible is the fact that she is a mom and a psychotherapist.
In a recent post, she explained one of the best interactions she’s ever had in public.
While Natalie was out walking along the beach with Rudy, her son, things took a downward turn. Rudy started having a meltdown, something that any parent with autistic kids knows all too well. To make matters worse, it was in public. As Rudy spiraled, he ended up getting on the ground and getting frantic, leading to stares.
The mom wrote on Facebook:
“My son loves to walk, but he hates to turn around and walk back, we usually try to walk in a circuit to avoid this but on his favourite walk with the boats we have no choice but to turn back, this will often lead to a meltdown, one which I can normally handle but on the back of 2 weeks out of school today was too much for him and me.”
Then, in the middle of the meltdown, a stranger stepped in.
A man who also happened to be walking down the beach saw what was happening and decided to come over. He saw that Rudy was having some trouble and asked if there was anything that he could do to help. The man then asked the boy some questions in an attempt to distract him from what was causing him some anxiety.
When he understood that words weren’t going to help much with Rudy, he got down on the ground with him.
The mom explained:
“This man, my hero this morning saw my son on the floor and like any other person would assume that he was having a tantrum, he asked my little Roo what his name was and when I explained he didn’t really understand and that he is autistic and has a host of other challenges making this part of the walk difficult he said, that’s cool I’ll lay down with him.”
Thankfully, the kind act from this stranger seemed to help calm Rudy down enough for them to walk to the car! Instead of just leaving, the man then asked if he could walk them back and help get everyone loaded up. It was one of the kindest things that Natalie had ever encountered.
Posting the story to her blog, she detailed the event.
The man, only known to the public as Ian from Southend Sea Front, had made her day. It’s incredible what a small act of kindness can do for a mom who just needs a little help in a moment that feels overwhelming.
Natalie wrote:
“If you see a parent struggling, maybe take the time to say, “are you ok” don’t judge the parenting, try not to judge the child, just be kind. We’re all walking our own path and navigating the journey the best we can, sometimes it takes a moment of kindness from a complete stranger to completely change your day. Thanks Ian from Southend Sea Front, you truly are a kind man…”
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