Ashley Wright of Belleville, Ontario, defends her autistic son and says that he deserves to be in public after a man shamed him during a trip to Peterborough Zoo with her two kids.
Hurtful Words
Wright vented out on social media after her encounter with the man. In a Facebook post, she shared the details of what happened at the zoo that made her defend her 13-year-old son Logan, who has autism spectrum disorder.
The single mom-of-two said that Logan flapped his arms and made loud noises at the zoo because he was just so happy to be at his favorite place. Wright noticed a man ahead kept staring at them, which did not bother her at first.
Things took a turn when the mom had to go to the bathroom after a two-hour drive to the zoo and downing lots of water. Wright took Logan with her to the coed bathroom and was careful not to agitate him with the sound of the hand dryer, so she wiped her wet hands on her pants instead.
However, "all hell broke loose" when Logan had to pee but could not verbalize it at first. Instead, he made a growly "EEEE" sound, ground his teeth, and pinched himself. The mom held on to her son's arm and the three walked toward the picnic area. By this time, the man stared at them again and continued to do so until Logan finally managed to say "Pee." The man stared, as her son pulled at his hair, bit his arm, and loudly screamed "EEEE." At about two feet away, the man yelled at the family.
"Why do people bring kids like this out in public? They ruin society," the man yelled at Wright.
Mom Defends Her Son
A second man told him off and offered help but Wright politely declined. The mom made it to the bathroom unscathed and safe.
"Was I asking for your help? Your opinion? Your advice? Nope. But you, a man about 6 foot 3 and easily 250lbs watched a mom who could've easily been hurt and scared and made a situation worse. You could've asked me if I needed help. I would've politely declined since like I said the last thing I need is to have to worry about another person in this situation, but you still could've. Or you could've done what the majority of people do and look at us, look away and go on about your business," Wright wrote.
Wright said the man's words hurt her, but she reasoned that her autistic son deserves to be in public just as much as anyone else because he needs the social interaction. She said her son does not ruin society and did not hurt anyone at the zoo.
The mom's post has since gone viral and she received messages of support from New Zealand to Scotland. Some shared similar stories. Wright said the positive responses astonished her and made her feel good.
Wright only hopes that the man at the zoo does not make another family feel the same way as he did to hers if a similar situation happens in the future. She also hopes that his children do not grow up feeling that autistic kids do not deserve to be in public.
