Mandy Crowley is a parent to her son who has autism. She has become a disability activist, and has a message to share with the world. Mandy says she is done with apologizing for her son’s behavior.
“Why would I apologize for my son’s behavior when he is doing his best to navigate a world that was made for neurotypical people? It’s not his fault he is overwhelmed.”
Mandy came to this realization of not feeling the need to apologize for her son’s behavior after responding to a call from his teacher. The teacher indicated that Mandy’s son had a ‘meltdown’ while in class. Mandy arrived to the classroom where she says her son had destroyed a section of the classroom, toys thrown around, pencils broken, and papers shredded. Mandy helped clean up the mess and questioned the teacher to find a reason for her son’s actions. However, amongst the chaos, she did not say “I’m sorry for my son’s behavior.”
Mandy is not sorry for her son’s behavior, but what she is sorry for is that there was not enough resources available to help him.
“I am not sorry that his disability requires that his teachers work to create the best environment for him, even if it doesn’t align with the other kids. I am not sorry that we need to carve time out of our lives to create the tools he needs to help him process those moments where he is completely overwhelmed. I am not sorry for who he is.”
“As a mom, my job is to help my son grow and develop into the best version of himself and autism is a part of who he is,” Mandy writes. She admits that she will not condone bad behavior, but she will not allow her son to constantly hear his mother apologizing for who he is. Mandy loves her son unconditionally and feels that her words need to reflect that.