Mocking others for being different is sadly still far too common in our society. Unfortunately, many parents encourage it.

All parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children grow up to be well-adjusted individuals. An important part of that is teaching them that bullying is wrong. Sadly, some parents do the opposite.

There are still many adults who think that it is amusing to make fun of other people for trivial reasons. And what’s worse is that they encourage this behavior in their children.

One mother of a child with autism, Kate Swenson, recounted her own recent experience of a co-worker bragging about her child mocking a fellow student with autism. It’s a powerful story indeed.

During a lunch break, the coworkers were all chatting. They got onto the subject of their children and the silly things that they say.

That’s when one of the mothers piped in with this statement: “My son makes fun of the autistic boy in his class, and it’s hilarious.”

At first, Kate thought that she had misheard her coworker. She struggled to accept that a mother would boast about her son being a bully in front of a group of other mothers. But what the mom said next confirmed it.

The coworker mother explained in detail how her son “has the whole act down.”

Kate, knowing the bullying that her own son has struggled through, was forcing back tears.

The coworker mother then went on to explain how her son could imitate all of the things that the boy with autism did, like covering his ears, twitching his hands and flapping his hands.

As she kept on talking, the coworker mother realized that none of the women around her thought that what her son was doing was funny.

As she realized that her colleagues were shocked at what she was saying, she tried to walk it back. The coworker mother then explained that her son “doesn’t do it in front of him. Just at home for us.”

Still, the colleagues were horrified. So the coworker mother then elaborated that the child with autism had no idea that her son was making fun of him. Still, the colleagues were disgusted.

Then the coworker mother tried a different tactic. She explained how the boy’s actions were so funny to her. She even started doing an impression of the boy herself.

When the coworker mother’s colleagues still showed no signs of enjoying her mockery, the coworker mother decided to just excuse herself and walk off quickly.

After the coworker mother had left the room, one of the colleagues asked Kate if she was ok. She said that she was. But it was obvious that the mockery had strongly affected her.

Kate was left wondering whether any of her son’s classmates mocked her son at home. Worse. Did those kids’ moms then make fun of her son at work?

“In that moment I realized how ugly the world can be.” – Kate Swenson.

The only way to change this bullying behavior is to make it clear to others that it is wrong.

Clearly, the coworker mother’s child in this story needs to be taught that mocking someone for something they cannot control is awful. But instead, the child’s mother is doing the opposite. She is encouraging it.

Hopefully, more and more people will learn to treat others with the respect they deserve in the future.

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Source: Today Parenting Team