While at the park this afternoon, Ethan, who usually plays by himself, was doing just that on the playground inside one of those tiny houses opening and closing the door repeatedly. This little boy came up to him a few minutes later and just stared. He was younger than Ethan but I just assumed he would be like all the other kids and ask me why he kept closing the door or ask why he kept rubbing his legs and jumping. While I was pondering what to say to this boy, and to my utter surprise, the boy started laughing. A happy giggle of pure joy. And to my greater surprise, Ethan laughed with him. That was all it took. Ethan then invited the little boy into his playhouse to open and close the door himself. After many giggles they raced to the see-saw and began to bounce up and down. Ethan the heavier of the two boys, bounced the boy hard enough to bump off his seat for a second and the boy laughed some more. The more he laughed, the more Ethan laughed. So I watched; amazed. This finally happened. One great big step for Ethan and this little boy was such a big part of it. Suddenly, Ethan toppled off the see-saw and began to scream and cry. To my great disappoint, I assumed this new friend would turn away from the screaming and wander off to play with someone else. So in mommy swooped to the rescue. He picked himself up off the ground we talked through it for a minute. To my great astonishment, he ran back to the little boy who was patiently waiting to start playing again. I just stood there, unsure what to do. This has never happened before. I followed them just to be sure he was ok. But there they were, chasing each other up the stairs of the castle finally reaching the top in peels of laughter. This went on for an entire hour. Ethan has never done anything for an hour let alone play with someone he just met. Two more times Ethan got upset but held himself together, asked me for a hug and off he went. Through all of this, that little boy waited patiently for Ethan to calm down and continue playing. This little boy, who I later found out was just 4 years old, never once asked why Ethan cried so much, why he jumped around, or why he rubs his legs all the time. I never want people to feel like they can't ask us questions; I encourage it even. But words cannot express what it feels like for someone to simply accept Ethan the way God made him; no questions asked.
When it finally came time to part ways and believe me, it took all I had to separate the two of them, I heard the boys father calling him and the boy began to cry. Ethan, too, seemed upset and I asked him if he would like to go say goodbye to his new friend. We made our way over to them and I heard the little boy tell his dad that he didn't want to leave his new friend; he really, really liked him. I reminded Ethan to thank the boy and his father for playing with us today. The little boy said he forgot to give Ethan a hug and a kiss took off after him (since Ethan started jumping away). I couldn't stop myself from expressing my appreciation of such a loving family. I told the dad his son truly was a special boy if he could be so sweet to someone he just met. I let him know Ethan had special needs and not many kids play with him because they find it hard to interact with him. They don't try to be mean or anything but they just can't connect with him the same way his son did. They usually give up and go find someone else to play with. But his son didn't. I let him know how much that meant to Ethan and also to me. He might think I'm crazy and I'm ok with that. I told that kid how awesome he was and that we hope we get to see him again soon. Then we all finally parted ways. Whether he knows it or not, that boy was a huge milestone in Ethan's life. The little 4 year old has more compassion in his little finger than most adults have in their whole bodies. These kind, loving boys will turn into exceptional young men.
