Parents Touched by Act of Kindness When Autistic Son Melts Down
Written by Craig Rogers, Posted on , in Section Must Reads
Not Enough Understanding, Empathy, and Compassion?
Parent's with autistic children understand the horror of their child's public meltdown. Many families with autistic children do not have "public time" out of fear of a public meltdown. They want to avoid the embarrassment and humiliation, but also the stares from onlookers, and the mean comments from people who lack understanding.
Random acts of kindness are "random" and therefore they are not technically planned events. However, in the case of Cynthia Tipton and her son, the random act of kindness they received from a stranger seemed to be an opportunity taken advantage of, and therefore not random. This act of empathy from a stranger seemed to come about through a shared understanding, and a common concern - and very much planned.
This rare act of kindness, whether it was planned or not, was very cool. A meaningful act of love that touched the heart and soul of many.
What Should Be Our First Reaction to a Child's Public Display of a Meltdown?
Unless you've been there, very few people truly understand what it is like to be a parent of an autistic child. Unless you've had an intimate and personal experience, most people do not know what parents go through in their day-to-day life of raising a child with autism. Kids who 
are nonverbal and somewhat aggressive can cause a public display that is very disruptive and painful to watch. These parents struggle to go about their lives with any semblance of normalcy.
So, when Cynthia Tipton went to pay for her family's meal at Bandana's Bar-B-Q only to find that someone had paid their for their dinner, at that moment she felt understood. The flow of empathy toward her, her autistic child, and her family couldn't have been more precious.
I would conclude that instead of judgment and ridicule, we all need to have a deeper well of compassion and understanding. When we don't know the exact circumstances of a child's public meltdown, our first reaction could be empathy and compassion, instead of annoyance and anger... you never know how valuable empathy and understand can be until you are the one receiving it.
Read the full article here by 13WMAZ.com on August 26, 2016
ROCK HILL, MO. - At a time when parents are often harshly judged by others, a local family acted out of empathy for total strangers.
They covered the tab for another family's dinner after a child with autism had a meltdown. Dinner at Bandana's Bar-B-Q in Rock Hill will certainly never be the same for Cynthia Tipton.
Thursday night she and her family had just finished eating at their table when she received an unexpected note. "When we went to ask for our bill, we were told another family had paid for us," Tipton said.
Moments before this happened, Tipton’s 10-year-old son Noland had a full meltdown in the restaurant. Tipton said Noland, who has autism, started screaming and crying very loudly.
After a few moments, he eventually calmed down. At the time, Tipton was just grateful she wasn't getting any dirty looks. Just then a server brought over a note from another family sitting nearby.
"This family didn't even know our circumstances but yet were so compassionate,” Tipton said. “It just really touched us."
13WMAZ.com |
13WMAZ.com
"This family didn't even know our circumstances but yet were so compassionate,” Cynthia Tipton said. “It just really touched us." Mother of boy with autism 'touched' after restaurant patron pays her ...9news.com.au |
