Kindness in the Eyes of a Stranger
We’ve all heard the horror stories of trips to Wal-Mart. These stories usually involve strangers who stare or make rude comments in response to the odd behavior of our children. This is NOT one of those stories.
My son recently made a trip to Wal-Mart for me with a small grocery list of assorted items. This is one of the many perks of having a son with a driver’s license! He enjoys the diversion and usually gets a little snack in the check-out isle as a “thank you” from mom for his trouble. But during this particular trip he got a little more than he bargained for. While standing near the frozen foods, my son felt his chest tighten and his breathing become uncomfortable. He knew the familiar signs that an anxiety attack was going to hit. He stood leaning on the frozen food case holding his chest and concentrating on his breathing. As he did so, a kind older gentleman noticed that he was having difficulty. The man approached my son and asked if he was okay. My son managed to tell him that it was an anxiety attack and that it would pass in a few minutes. This kind stranger kept a watchful eye on my son during the whole time he was dealing with the uncomfortable symptoms of anxiety. The man ‘busied’ himself nearby but he never left the general area where my son stood until the attack had past and my son was breathing comfortably again.
My son called me to tell me about the anxiety attack. He was also very eager to tell me about the kind stranger who made sure he was okay. I was grateful for the caring attitude of this man and I was grateful to be reminded that sometimes there is kindness in the eyes of strangers.
Has anything like this happened to you?
Hunter does not have a lot of friends, and this is something that really bothers him a lot. a few weeks ago, we were at the museum with a boy from a family I work for. he was consistently nice to Hunter even when Hunter was manic (running around, screaming and poking the boy). When I whispered to him "hey, thanks for being so nice to him", the boy turned to me, looking surprised. he said simply, "I like him". that meant a lot to me. i almost cried right then and there....
--
Hunter: age 6, BP, ADD, LD, not on medication (yet!)
As a Mom who has a bp child with anxiety and a person who has her own anxiety as well this was very touching to me! It's not as often we hear about the kindness of a stranger during these difficult times, sadly. Thank you so much for sharing:)
--
Katie
Son: 7yr old
RX: Abilify & Vivance
Laura K. You're comment brought tears to my eyes!! For a number of reasons!! My son is 7 and has ADHD and most recently been diagnosed with Bipolar. My heart breaks every day that he comes home from school and cries about how he has no friends, the kids don't like him, they think he's "gross". I long for the day my son finds a REAL friend like you described. I re-read your statement of what your son is like when he is manic and couldn't believe the revelation I had!! I've been trying to "figure out" in my own head is this diagnosis correct. My son finds it almost impossible to have any social interaction(even though he wants it so badly) because he too runs around screaming and poking. We recently had to take him off a medicine that he was doing better on only to return to the screaming, running and poking. Obviously my son is in a manic state and I'm just now realizing this. Thank you so much for commenting on the blog. I don't know how much longer it would have taken me to accept this reality.
--
Katie
Son: 7yr old
RX: Abilify & Vivance