Standing by me

Working and living with autism has not been an easy journey. There have been so many challenges along the way that sometimes I wonder why I do it at all or why my partner and I keep the school going against all odds when we are financially, intellectually and emotionally worn out from all the adversity we run into. There is no rational answer to it. It could be that we both hate giving in to defeat. It could be that there is no one else doing what we do and so we owe it to the children. It could be that we are gluttons for punishment. Hard to say really. Maybe its all of it.

The other day a man from the house opposite the one where we run our school came to the gate when neither my partner nor I were present and proceeded to demand entry. On being denied it he grew abusive and hit one of my teachers who promptly locked the front door to get away from his tirade. The man then threatened to get the school closed. He had seen one of the children throwing a tantrum and wanted to see for himself what the child was up to. We don’t allow strangers to come into the school for obvious reasons. My partner went to speak to him only to be lectured to for half an hour. He claimed that she seemed highly qualified but how could such an uncouth guy be our staff – someone who couldn’t respect a government employee enough to let him in. He demanded to see the child and his parent. He wanted to know what was going on.

So today morning a whole host of parents came to our support as I walked up to the man and introduced myself. Immediately he sounded humble and apologetic. He claimed he did not need to be convinced. He was just concerned when he heard the child throwing a tantrum. He sounded like a completely different person. He averred that he had no issues with us. The tantrum-throwing child’s father came forward to explain to him why the child was going through a bad phase. Other parents stood by and declared that ours was the best, most caring organization for autism in Bangalore. I stood there and smiled. To see our parents come together and be right by my side when things mattered was a wonderful experience.

I walked back to the school with them. It was like being part of a family. Every parent supported us. Every parent was happy to take time to come and spend time with us to tell us that our work mattered. Today showed me how worthwhile our work is, how appreciated it is by those whose lives we have changed, how important it is for us to help more such children and their families. We aren’t alone. We never will be alone. Our work can go on. Such reassurance brings forth my warmest gratitude. Today, was a good day…