Melody Kraemer-Autism Mom

The other day I woke up with a heavy heart. My son got bullied while he was at school. No matter how much we try to protect our children we just can’t always be there with them.

Now my son is not one to sit back and take someone beating him up or kicking him while he is down, he will try and defend himself. On this particular day, he spits on a kid to protect himself from being bully.

He got in trouble, not in a lot of trouble, but he did get in trouble.  He used “bodily fluid” to defend himself.

He was angry over this; more than angry he was livid. He did not understand how in self-defense he was the one in trouble. Explaining to my autism child sometimes is like talking to a brick wall, his mind is black and white with no grey area.

The “bully” to my understanding got sent to the office, sent home with a note, and a phone call to the parents. He was also not allowed to play on the same playground as the class during recess.

When I picked up my son that day he broke down in front of me and just cried hard, as a mom my heart broke for him. I calmly listened to him; his hurt and anger were off the charts. I talked to him and tried my best to calm him down. All he could think about was how he was going to get revenge.

Autism thinking can be so perplexing at times and can be narrow-minded with no room for understanding.

It took me most of the day to explain that we don’t get revenge on people.

Though his anger grew and he still didn’t understand the concept why he got in trouble for defending himself.  Honestly, I still have a small issue understating it myself.

He was told by the school any time that anyone attempts to bully him or anyone he needs to go to an adult. I told him if there is no way he could get out of the situation and get to an adult he has every right to defend himself even if it meant spitting. He may get in trouble but I said if he felt that was the only way out of his situation he has to do what he has to do.

I have a 0% tolerance for bullying I will not tolerate my son or any other child to be bullied.

I can’t talk to every child, I can’t speak to every child who bullies, but I can and will talk to my child about bullying.