The Golden Rule

Julia, Joshua, Summer, and our newest niece/cousin Deborah Nicole Smith
Joshua is in love with Deborah!

Do unto others as you would have done unto you.
AKA- Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Wouldn't the world be such a great place if we all followed that rule consistently?!
Oh, but how we forget at times, including myself.
I knew it was coming, but yesterday Joshua was teased at school for the first time known to me.
I knew it would come sometime this year.
Third grade seems to be the year I was told.
It must have to do with being 8 and reaching the age of accountability, where now a child can make mistakes, repent, and learn from it.
The sad thing was, Joshua didn't know he was being made fun of.
The good thing was, Joshua didn't know he was being made fun of.
He was so excited yesterday.
Joshua-"Mom, guess what?  At lunch, the girls said raise your hand and say silly things.......  And they laughed and I laughed."
Me-  "Were you having fun?"  (Because it didn't sound funny to me.)
Joshua-"Yes mom.  It was funny.  They were laughing  I was playing with the girls."
He was so excited these girls were "playing" with him.
Now nothing these girls told Joshua to say was bad, but they were not playing appropriately.
Telling someone to do something and then laughing at them, is not playing.
I know these girls.  They are sweet girls.
They were in Joshua's class last year.
They know him and should be his friend.
But they weren't being very good friends yesterday, and that made me sad.
I called his SPICE teacher.
She was upset and said this was happening lately, where the other kids are telling the autistic kids to do something, and of course they do it.  They just want to have friends and fit in.  They don't understand what is going on.
Poor Mrs. Jen is always so hopeful that this year will be different, but 3rd grade seems to begin the teasing.
The teacher talked to the girls.  And of course being good girls they were horrified.
Because of the multiple occurances, the social worker is being brought into the 3rd grade to remind them how to treat each other nicely.  You know-
Follow the Golden Rule.
I know this is only the beginning, but it hurts.
I don't know how to prepare him for the cruelness of the world.
Tomorrow I will chose not to think of it and continue on with life.
I am still full of hope, that the world is mostly filled with good people who just don't understand autism.
I guess my mission is to help at least part of the world understand it.
I sometimes think that the reason why the numbers of people with autism has jumped so high, is so that we can all be reminded of how we should treat one another.
Different is not bad.
Different is just different.
Enjoy the differences and you will find joy.
That is what Joshua brings to our family.
PURE JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!