My brain doesn’t always function at 100%. I am forgetful, I stumble over words and I have trouble communicating thoughts in a way that a non-neuro brain would understand. On good days Mr. MVP and I can have full conversations without many issues, but on a really bad day it takes time for us to pull a full sentence out of my mouth. Mr. MVP and I have been married for 9 1/2 years, so my communication-isms are a pain, but he understands me. The public at large, however is a whole other story.
We’re So Adorable.
Typically when I need to speak to someone, anyone, outside my bubble (Mr. MVP, my Mom and Dad) when I’m having a bad day I start by making a list of things I’d like to accomplish when I talk to the person I’m calling. The second thing I do is explain, in incredibly simple terms, that I am a neuro patient and my word recall and communication skills are not terribly amazing and that I will do my best if they in turn can be a little extra patient. This method has never failed. I have successfully called tech support at Apple after a grand mal seizure. I think the woman on the phone was more worried about the seizure than she was about my MacBook.
wordstream.com
So, why in the world am I telling you all of this? A while ago there was an article in our newspaper about a woman who was at a salon and the owner yelled at her son. The child apparently is autistic and was misbehaving and the owner got upset and did not know how to handle the situation. The Mom cried, the bystanders cried, the hairdresser cried and I’m almost positively sure the boy played in the grass happily obliviously to all the crazy adults around him. Like me, the boy has neuro brain. I feel for the kid. I also feel for the owner of M-Spa.
As an adult I can look at a situation differently than a child, but as an adult with severe medical problems I can assess a situation dramatically different than a healthy person. Let me first say that I obviously was not at M-Spa when this whole situation happened and like every uproar in life people are looking to place blame. My guess is that everyone involved is a little guilty. Mom should have re-informed the owner that her young son is autistic and what exactly that involves. Mom should also have gone over rules of conduct with her son because he was obviously missing something in his standard operating procedure for a quiet adult salon environment. Most importantly, the bystander, Vanessa Hunt, should have been minding her own business. Neuro brain is difficult enough without strangers posting about it on Facebook for the world to see.
The Kid
From what I’ve read, boycott groups have popped up on Facebook and hundreds of ignorant women have joined forces thinking they are making a difference in this little boy’s life. What they don’t understand is that clicking that like button might make them feel better, but in the long run it doesn’t do anything for anyone. M-Spa continues to lose business and the kid with neuro brain still has neuro brain. It’s a lose, lose proposition. If all those women turned their energy into a giant ball of good, something positive could finally be accomplished because that kid could certainly use some age appropriate social skills therapy and M-Spa could use some training on how to deal with clients with special needs.
Ridiculous People
My adult self struggles to deal with communication-isms on a bad day, so I’m thinking this kid has a hard time even on his best day. Mr. MVP can confirm that there are some days when I just don’t understand. I get hot very easily, noises bother me and I prefer to wear my sunglasses outside. The thing is, I’m an adult and I can sit through a haircut even if the noise of the scissors is driving me mad. Everyone who ganged up on M-Spa should come and spend a day with me on a really bad day. I guarantee after one conversation you’ll seriously consider un-liking that stupid boycott page and after two long chats you will never make a mean remark about M-Spa again.
About The Author
Nicole
Member of Team VP, knitter and Mama to Blue and Franks. Life, is bloody good.
