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In response to
"Here's my it's tough to discipline kids story..."
by
Inigo
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I've been reticent to say anything about this in the past...
Posted by
David (aka David)
Jan 19 '10, 14:53
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I don't like to relay stories that in any insinuate my family members are anything less than awesome, because they're the greatest and I adore them.
Chris' situation did create a major schism, however, due to the ignorance of a couple of people to the situation. Another family member who had raised two kids already by the time Chris' autism was known, was convinced that the key to teaching him proper behavior was to spank him. Hard. They would strongly hint that he wasn't being raised in a disciplined environment and constantly deride the parenting skills of Chris' mother, legitimately one of the best human beings in the world.
This came to a head after they babysat him a couple of times. His parents were preparing to take him over there again when he found out about the time. He started freaking out and crying about how he didn't want to go. After a time, he stopped crying and he said, very pitifully, "Mommy, they hurt me." It was only then we found out he was being spanked by them when they babysat.
There have not been five times in my life when I was angrier at that moment. From that point until he entered high school, I was his only babysitter other than the grandparents. And it took a long time for forgiveness to occur over that behavior.
Raising a child like this is something no one outside the process could ever understand. Ordinary rules simply do not apply.
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