What to Know
It can feel like such a difficult thing to sit on the sidelines of your child’s life sometimes and watch them go through hard things when you really just want to pick them up and put them in a safe little bubble. This feeling may be about a hundred times worse when your child has a disability. A mom recently went viral after catching some kids at a public pool making fun of and mocking her autistic son who was just trying to enjoy a swim. Through tears, the mom shared what it’s like to have to watch her son go through things like this, and she even shares some thoughts on what other parents can do to help.
The mom of an autistic child caught other kids making fun of and mocking his disability while they were at a community pool.
The viral video posted by itscassieblanko on Instagram, who’s a wife and mother with over 650,000 followers, starts out with something that’s extremely difficult to take in. You can see a couple of kids visibly mocking and making fun of a kid who’s just minding his own business while trying to quietly swim around the pool.
Then Cassie comes on camera and says that her “blood is literally boiling” because her son is just trying to swim in the pool and a few of the other kids are yelling at him to move out of their way and just being rude in general.
When she begins to see them start to mock his stimming behavior — which is very typical of autistic people as they’re repeated movements or behaviors for sensory stimulation — she decides that she’s had enough and it’s time to talk to some parents.
This mom seems to have a lot of support in the comment section from other moms who are just as heartbroken.
You know this mom means business because the next caption on the screen states, “I went to find their moms to tell them what their kids are doing.”
When she approaches a couple of the moms, she keeps the video rolling in a covert manner. She tells them that she’s not sure if they’re aware, but their kids have been making fun of her autistic son. One of the mom’s immediately wants her to clarify which kids were doing it, so Cassie describes their bathing suits to make things crystal clear.
After she tells the moms what the kids have been doing and saying to her son, it is comforting to see that one of the moms immediately jumps into action and calls out to her child to hopefully discuss things with her and put a stop to this.
The comment section on this video is filled with parents who totally feel this mother’s pain. “I’m so sorry mama. No child should ever go through this and he’s lucky to have you to watch him and advocate for him. Thank you for going above and beyond and educating others as well,” one person wrote.
Another mother brought up the importance of teaching children how to love and be kind. They shared, “Momma, I am so sorry. This is why I will never stop advocating for my babies and teach my children how to love and care for their peers!”
Speaking of which, Cassie had some words on that subject for other parents.
This mom urges parents to educate their children on different types of people and having empathy.
After talking to the moms, Cassie comes back to the camera in tears and says that she really can’t imagine the things that other kids say and do to her son when she’s not around. What a heartbreaking point.
Cassie points out that “this is the type of stuff that happens when parents fail to teach their kids” that there are kids with disabilities. She urges parents to use moments like this to teach their kids that “it’s never okay to make fun of a kid that’s different.” Cassie, we agree with you 1000%!
One individual in the comments section brings up the subject of accountability and how it’s extremely important in situations like this. “It’s the lack of accountability. If my kid was making fun of someone autistic or any disability like that, I’m making a scene out of it. When parent fail [sic] to keep themselves and kids accountable, this happens,” they wrote.
Another person is commending how this mom stepped up to take things to the parents in the heat of the moment. “I’m so happy you addressed the parents! I hope that they do more than just correct their kids in that moment!” they shared. Yes, it’s so important to take a moment to address the poor behavior directly, apologize, and make sure they know better not to do those things again.
Whether you consider yourself a fierce mama bear or someone who handles things a bit more quietly, everyone can pretty much understand stepping up and advocating for a child with a disability. And in a world filled with hardships, it’s always a good idea to encourage our kids to be kind!
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