AUTISM HEALTH
Gears still turning, starting to grind faster.
“What about YOUR doctors? Didn’t they have to
touch you down there when you had babies?”
“I think I should talk to him about it,” I said with a
heavy sigh.
“Nah, he knows,” my hubby said. “Don’t you think?”
I squirmed just a titch. “Yes, they did.” “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
I could almost hear his brain working at this point. I finished loading the dishwasher. The boys were
downstairs watching the most recent America’s
Funniest Home Videos. I could hear their delighted
squeals of laughter over the cat and dog videos they
loved so much. I joined them on the couch just as
the episode was ending.
“Did that hurt? That had to hurt. I hope you had pain-
killers.”
I stifled a giggle.
“It did hurt, buddy. And I did have painkillers. Thanks
for caring.”
And that was how I taught my son about preventing
sexual abuse. I patted myself on the back for what I
considered a job well done. I was totally feeling like
a winner.
Now here I was, about to read a tragic story of some
poor child with autism who had been abused in
ways that made me shudder. Only, as I started read-
ing the article, I realized it was even worse than I had
thought.
A 22-year-old man had been accused of kidnapping
and sexually abusing a three-year-old child. The
man’s parents told the police “he is autistic and has
been diagnosed with developmental delays.” The full
story can be found here.
My mind was spinning. A sick feeling filled my gut
when I thought about the gravity of the situation. I
vaguely recalled the character from Of Mice and Men,
what was his name? Lennie. Lennie, the simple-mind-
ed giant who loved soft, small animals. Lennie, who
didn’t realize his own strength and without any ma-
licious intent, hurt the soft, small creatures. Lennie,
who didn’t mean to but did.
Did my innocent, Nerf-obsessed son know this type
of right from wrong? Did he know that he wasn’t al-
lowed to touch others “down there”? I had been so
proud of having the talk about protecting himself
from all the evil predators in the world. Had I ever
taught him NOT to be an evil predator himself? Un-
til I read that article, quite honestly the thought had
never occurred to me.
When my husband got home, I told him about the
news story.
As casually as I could, I asked, “Remember when we
had the talk about how no one can touch your pri-
vate parts?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know that YOU are also not allowed to touch
other people’s? Not your friends, not girls, not boys.
You know that, right?”
“Yes.” Then, after a moment of thinking, he asked,
“But I can touch my own, right?”
I had to choke back the giant laugh that desperately
wanted to surface. My lips twitched and curled into
a silly grin.
“Yes. Yes, you may touch your own.”
I later shared that funny tidbit with my husband.
We had a good laugh about it. I often marvel at my
son’s mind, at his quirky way of thinking. I remember
my awkward preteen years and wonder how in the
world I will navigate the weirdness of puberty part-
nered with the weirdness of autism.
All I know is, it’s going to be one hell of a funny ride.
Stacy Bernal is a proud mama to one
atypical and two neurotypical kids. She is
an award-winning sales rep in northern
Utah. She is an ultra-marathoner, mara-
thoner, and triathlete. She lives with her husband,
kids, and two fur babies in Ogden, where she enjoys
the amazing mountains and all they have to offer.
Website: seestacyspeak.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/seestacyspeak
Twitter: twitter.com/SeeStacySpeak
Instagram: instagram.com/SeeStacySpeak
Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 74 |
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