Brighten Your Day

Today we went to the neighborhood pool with my three kids. Aida is 4, Ryder is 11, and Siddhartha is 15.

We typically invite a couple of kids who live on our block since their parents are seldom available to take them. We live in a working-class neighborhood in Southern California. There was a large party of about nine kids in their mid-teens enjoying a little graduation get-together. I was in the pool with my two youngest to ensure they were safe with all the movement and splashing happening with the big kiddos. My son Ryder is autistic and partly non-verbal. He’s also a fantastic swimmer.

My husband Tylor was taking turns with me in the water, trading places in the jacuzzi. Tylor burnt himself out playing with the kids and was still tired from a fishing trip, so he left to go home. I’m not as fun as Dad (lol), and soon my kiddos started seeking to play with the big kids. Their brother was too preoccupied with the neighbor kids.

I looked around the pool and saw Ryder asking for a piggyback ride from one of the bigger guys in the pool. To my amazement, the big guy happily gave Ryder a piggyback ride, and I soon explained how he was autistic and partly non-verbal. As a special needs parent, you are always advocating. This guy, named Jayden, immediately understood and played with Ryder for a long time—lifting him on his shoulders and throwing him into the water when he asked.

Soon, my toddler Aida wanted to join in the action. As a shy 4-year-old, she came up and asked me to ask the “big kids” if she could play too! I asked one of the girls—who had also offered Ryder a piggyback ride—if she could play with my little one. All the kids joined in and played with them. The nice young lady even raced Aida, carried her on her hip, and walked her around the shallow end. They had so much fun!

My heart was filled with love. My face lit up with smiles. For these young folks to take time out of their day to help my children feel included brought me so much hope for the future of our society. They may not know how this small act of kindness made such a huge impact—but I wanted to share this with the world!