Her Autistic Kids Were Excluded From A Family Birthday Party, So She’s Taking Them On Vacation Instead
Many parents of children with autism can relate to their kids being singled out or uninvited from certain events because many people assume they’ll cause trouble.
One woman recently decided to go on vacation with her kids instead of her nieces’ family-friendly birthday party after her sister told her she’d have to book a babysitter for the night.
She is a single mother to five kids aged 19 to six. Two of her kids, ages eight and ten, were diagnosed with autism.
“They are great kids,” she explained. “I don’t just say that because they are mine. They are exceptional students, excel in their musical [and] sports hobbies, and are well-liked by everyone.”
“No one else in the family has an issue with them, and we recently attended a formal sit-down dinner and danced for my grandmother’s 80th birthday with zero issues.”
However, she does admit that when her two kids were younger, it could be harder to get them to settle down for important events, as they had a lot of high energy. She would refuse to “set them up for failure” and avoided events at nice restaurants or things set up in spaces that couldn’t handle a pair of energetic kids.
For instance, she missed her sister’s 40th birthday party six years ago, as she had recently separated from her husband and would’ve had to handle the kids all by herself, which she knew would be difficult. She believes her sister is still bitter about that to this day.
When she heard the details of her two nieces’ upcoming 18th birthday party, she got excited, as it sounded very family-friendly, and she figured her kids would fit in.
“They are [booking] a hall, cooking a BBQ dinner, and having a local band play, so it’s very family-friendly,” she said.
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“There will be other children at this party, around 20 of them ranging from 11 down to newborn. My nieces invited me.”
Unfortunately, when her sister set the birthday party date for a weekend when she’ll have her kids, her sister sent a rude text and told her she’d have to book a babysitter for “those two” that night. All of her other children were invited.
“I’ve booked a holiday overseas instead for myself and the kids,” she added.
“We will be there instead. I’ll send the girls some cash as presents, and they are both moving to the city where I now live for university next year, so I’ll help them move and fill their pantries as a housewarming gift, which I did for my oldest child as well. Now my sister is complaining that I’m going on holiday rather than the party.”
Was she wrong to book a vacation for her family instead of biting the bullet and getting a babysitter? Or did she do what’s right for her family?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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