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This morning my 4 year old son came to me and said "Wanna go see Santa." This is a big deal to my family and I, because my son is autistic, and we're not always sure what is going on inside of his head. He talks and has a lot of words but he has a lot of trouble communicating his wants and feelings to us. I didn't even really know that he understood the concept of Santa, or that he could GO see him, even though we try to explain.
All morning he asked. I couldn't believe it. I was skeptical, but I was taking my son to see Santa. I didn't even care about a picture, because we have never been able to get a professional portrait done of him. He simply can't sit still or understand most instructions and gets very anxious in any new situation. Minutes after Walnut Square Mall opened, I headed to Santa's headquarters with my son and his two year old brother. We only had to wait behind one family who was photographing their baby. It took a bit of time, so my son was impatient, and I was getting worried that he would melt down. My stomach was churning with anxiety hoping that this would be a good experience for him as he tried every opening to run to Santa and into another family's picture.
As soon as the family in front of us was finished I said "Its your turn!" and my son flapped his hands wildly and doubled over giggling in excitement. Almost at that same moment, a group of three ladies, all senior citizens, walked up to Santa's entrance. The one in front began banging on the table to get someone's attention, while I spoke to the lady in back. "Oh, please, we've been waiting a long time and my son is getting very impatient, we were here already." Then the ladies proceded to go stand by Santa for their picture. I exclaimed "I told him it was his turn, we were next!" Two of the ladies looked at me like I was a nutbag, while the one I has spoken directly to mouthed "I'm sorry." out of eyesight of the other two. My son burst into tears. He cried and cried while I tried to wait for the ladies to first have the picture made, for them to argue a while with the photographer, and for them to socialize with a friend who walked up.
When it was finally my son's turn, he ran up to Santa, put his head in Santa's lap and sobbed for a second, then pushed him away and ran to me saying "Go home?!" I took him to the car. I wanted to cry and I was very close to it. We were so close to this being a good experience.
While putting my sobbing son in the car and choking back tears, a tiny voice says "Go see Santa?" Really? After all of that, my son was asking again. Usually, once he has a bad experience at any place, he may never want to go back again, and his memory is VERY good. I asked him if he wanted to go back inside to see Santa. He said "Inside, see Santa!" Of course I loaded up two boys again, and not only did we get to see Santa, we got a picture with both boys.
Please be kind to others, and look around and take notice to what you are doing during this holiday season. Speak up if you notice one of your friends being unintentionally or intentionally rude. Never underestimate the importance of an event to a child, and never make assumptions about someone else's situation.
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