We had a Bad Day...

Well, it happened, we all knew it would eventually, just a matter of when…
Mommy had a MELTDOWN! We’re not talking a little pity party, a few tears, getting snippy with one of the “other world”, you know the one, the one where Autism is that thing that you hear somebody else’s kid has, we are talking a “full blown Mount Vesuvius, someone get a straight jacket for this lady” meltdown! Seriously, I may never be able to go into our local Walmart again.
It all started because I had to run to the store for last minute supplies for my daughter’s 18th birthday (which of course was THAT day). I have been putting off getting new shoes for Austin for a LONG, LONG time. He really hates getting new shoes. He doesn’t understand the whole “try these on” thing. I had our Behavior Assistant and our Respite helper with me (who also happens to be a Behavior Assistant), so if we were going to ever have THE opportunity, this was it.
We prepared him all morning, telling him we were going for new shoes. We used our very best Social Stories, we were ready. We took his Thomas the Tank Engine Sticker books with us so that he would be happy in the car on the way there. We were all feeling very proud of ourselves that we had done everything we could to make this go smooth as silk. We forgot one small detail, just when you think you have it all figured out, Austin just may throw a curve ball.
Miss Nicole took him to the toy aisle (one of his favorite places) while I got the birthday card that I had forgotten to buy. My daughter Alyssa and I were picking out the card, Miss Nicole and Miss Brynn had Austin. Alyssa and I found our card and went to the shoe department. That was when we heard him. I looked down the aisle and there is Austin practically dragging these two amazing girls toward me, screaming bloody murder. Ugh, here we go.
We took him into the shoe aisle (which cleared quickly, other than the gawkers). Nicole sat with Austin, calming him while Brynn, Alyssa and I found every pair of shoes that we thought might fit him. Ok, he was calmer, took off his shoes, and tried the first pair…erg…too small. He yelled while we took them off, got louder when we tried the next one. Hurray, that one fit. We bent to take it off, he started yelling, I turned into the worst Behavior Mom in the world and told Nicole, “Put the other one on him, and he will wear them out! Let’s get out of here!”
He calmed down while she put the other shoe on and really seemed much better. The crowd had dispersed at this point, so I made yet another bad decision, I forgot about a possible after-shock. I told Nicole I would meet her in the front of the store, I just wanted to run to the pharmacy for elastic laces. I know, what was I thinking? I was halfway to the pharmacy when I heard him. There was no mistaking it, round two and three were hitting at the same time. I literally ran back to find them coming around the corner, Austin slamming his head into everything (pillars, Nicole, the floor), and screaming his head off. I threw my purchases into Alyssa and Brynn’s arms. Nicole and I dragged him to the front. Each aisle we passed there was bare minimum of two people standing, staring, and some worse yet making nasty comments. Not fun, but nothing that hasn’t happened many times over the years. I usually use the opportunity to educate people, and I did, for the first few aisles of people, by saying, “He has Autism, we are handling it” as we walked by.
Then came the final straw…I looked straight ahead at the Walmart employee who was standing there just staring at us. No offer of help, no helping me ring up purchases, nothing, Just a whole store staring at a family in the middle of a huge crisis, and not one person stepping forward to help.
I snapped! I screamed at the top of my lungs,”It’s called Autism, it’s an epidemic, and sometimes it SUCKS! Now she is taking him outside with his new shoes, I am going to pay for them, and then we are out of here. ANY QUESTIONS?”
Not the best approach, I absolutely agree, however I am sure that at least a few homes in my town were discussing Autism over the dinner table that night. I guess we did raise some awareness after all.