The Bravest Guy I Know

This morning, I had to send Connor off for seven hours, to a place he did not want to go, to a place where not only are his peers making fun of him, but so are the very ones who are supposed to protect him.

We talk a lot about our Aspies' lack of eye contact or poor social skills, or odd ways of speaking, among others. What we do not talk about is how brave they are.

Every day, these kids face challenges that I have seen adults unable to handle. At school, Connor has been called names by his peers, the principal has said he was a behavior problem, the PE teacher told him he ran like a six year old (He was 9)and most recently, the teacher of one of his passions (music) told a classmate that Connor was weird. And every time these things happen, he gets up in the morning and goes back for more.

I just read something that said kids with Autism do not have normal human emotions. This was said by a mother of a child with autism. Well, I am sure every kid is different, but I can tell you mine feels more deeply than most people. He empathizes. He just doesn't understand the reasons or how the tone and meaning and facial expressions fit into it. It really is like looking at the same world as everyone else, but just seeing it through a different window than the rest of us do.

Connor knows and stresses that he has no friends. He watches his sisters play with their friends and cries because no one likes him. He tries to join in conversations only to find out he is being laughed at. He tries so hard and no one is noticing. He gets no credit, and still he keeps trying and going back to school, knowing that it is going to suck.

How many of us can do that? I have always been sensitive to rejection or negative attention so I avoided it whenever possible. But not Connor. He trips, falls, gets bruised and pulls himself back up again to keep walking. He is amazing. He has taught me so much. He is truly the bravest guy I know.