I thought being a good mom meant keeping my autistic son from upsetting strangers. I was wrong.
An experience at the zoo helped me learn the importance of prioritizing my autistic son's comfort over others people's opinions and judgements.
Jennifer Jay Palumbo, an author, shares her experience of learning to prioritize her autistic son's comfort over strangers' judgement. The story begins with a trip to the Bronx Zoo where Michael, her autistic son, had a meltdown. She recounts her initial embarrassment and worry about how others perceived the situation. However, over time, she realized that her focus should be on her son's comfort rather than on other people's approval.
This realization led her to stop apologizing for her son's autism and instead simply inform others about his condition. Since then, she has found that honesty is often met with compassion. She also uses various strategies to help Michael manage his emotions, including breathing exercises and rating his discomfort on a scale from 1 to 10.
Through her journey, she wishes people were always compassionate towards parents and children struggling in public, but ultimately, her main concern is Michael.
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