A Michigan mother and her son had been out getting groceries at their local store when toward the end of their shopping trip she found a note in her cart. Within a few short seconds of having her back turned to her cart, a stranger slipped her a five-word message she’ll never forget.
Brittany Miller said that she was at the Meijer in the town of Muskegon with her 6-year-old son Granderson who loves to take in everything around him. It was his interest in one thing in particular that another shopper took notice of and felt the need to make a rather disgusting suggestion to the mother in a passive-aggressive note that they were too coward to say to Brittany face-to-face.
Like many boys his age, Granderson loves alarms, flashing lights, and things that make noise. His interest in them is a little more intense than other children, in that he has to become the expert on such things, before moving on to something new to focus on. This trait is common among children who have autism, along with the fact that he often imitates the alarm sounds in public as a coping mechanism to the chaos he senses around him.
Although Granderson had imitated the sound of a fire alarm at the store, he wasn’t particularly loud or distracting about it, which was why she was shocked to see the nasty note from the stranger about it. “I turn around and I’m talking to my son. I was helping him fix his shoe. I turn back around and there’s a note on top of my bags,” Brittany explained to WOOD.
In all capital letters, the rude mystery shopper told the mother to “GET THAT KID A MUZZLE,” but was gone before Brittany could see who put it there. She was left feeling upset, but mostly for not having the opportunity to explain to the incensed shopper that her son has autism and therefore has less control over himself than other kids.
It’s not a stranger’s place to criticize someone else’s children or offer unsolicited parenting advice. Society has become so callous toward other people just trying to get through life. Rather than helping by at least keeping their opinions to themselves in an average situation like this, they seek to hurt. It’s always easier to advise others on what to do when you’re not in their shoes. If you’re willing to be the one to say something, at least do it in person and own your words.
