Mall Santas are quickly becoming my unsung Christmas heroes. While this story is from a couple of years ago, it is an important lesson we can all learn.
Young Landon, went to the mall to see Santa. However, because he is autistic, he is often told that he is naughty, and was afraid that Santa wouldn’t think of him as a good boy.
We’ve had our fair share of people who didn’t understand autism tell us how bad our kids were. In reality, they don’t want to have a meltdown, but when they become overwhelmed, they will often stem, or have a meltdown. This needs to be seen as being different than a child who acts out because they didn’t get their way.
Thankfully
Thankfully the Santa knew how to handle the situation. Santa said that “it shouldn’t bother him to be who he is, and that he is a very good boy, exactly the way he is.” Hopefully his kind words helped this young boy and his self-esteem not just then, but for years to come.
