Just 10 Seconds of This Could Make This Autism Journey Way Easier

Some of the better moments of my parenting life have boiled down to this. Someone took ten seconds out of their lives to help us out. To accommodate us. To include my kiddo.

A simple gesture like the teenager who broke from her gaggle of friends to hold open the door for me when I was carrying/dragging my melting-down kiddo from the mall. She probably went right back to her friends and her life, but it made all the difference to me. Two years later, I’m still thinking about her.

“Hang on. Let me see what I can do.” I’ve heard this statement a lot when advocating for my kiddo. Sometimes they come back and they can do something. Sometimes not. Either way, they’re trying. I appreciate the effort regardless of the outcome. They’re taking ten seconds out of their day for me.

Imagine what you could do with ten seconds for someone else. It’s so easy in this autism life to dwell in all the times we’ve been shunned, scorned and screwed over. What would happen if we all shifted that attitude over to ten seconds of kindness? Not just helping each other out but everyone.

What if ten seconds of kindness meant accepting when something couldn’t be done for us the way we asked? What if we took that angry energy and channeled it into looking for a compromise?

What if we just accepted that people ask for help in different ways because their needs are different? What if we didn’t shun what they saw as solutions simply because it wouldn’t work for us?

What if we all just took ten seconds to take some deep breaths and chill the hell out a bit?

This post originally appeared on Autism With a Side of Fries.

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