An 11-year-old boy in Thailand is going to his first day of school. He's autistic, and he's never been to school before.
He gets there and feels overwhelmed and scared. So it goes out to a third floor balcony and starts dangling his legs over the edge. His mom and the teachers can't coax him back inside.
They call the fire department. One of the firemen who arrives is Somchai Yoosabai. He assesses the situation and sees that they're getting nowhere. But in the meantime, he overhears the mom talking to the boy about the comic books he likes.
Overhearing a conversation between the boy's mother and his teachers about his love for comics and superheros, Somchai rushed back to the fire station to change into a Spiderman costume before swinging into action.
"I told him Spiderman is here to save you. No monster will hurt you now," Somchai said. "Then I told him to walk slowly toward me. I was very nervous that he might have slipped if he got too excited and ran."
Somchai, who keeps costume of Spiderman and a Japanese superhero Ultraman to liven up fire drills at schools, said the teary-eyed boy broke into a smile and started walking into his arms.
Isn't that awesome? I can just see the picture in my mind.
But here's why I like the story. First, it shows an enormous amount of compassion on the part of everyone for a little autistic boy.
Second, the firefighter went above and beyond. Nowhere in his training did they tell him he should wear superhero costumes to connect with autistic children, I'm pretty sure. But he assessed the situation and went above and beyond. He thought outside the box.
No one would have blamed him if he had just stood there, hopeless and helpless like everyone else. But he didn't. He thought hard, figured on a potential solution, and acted on it. He took initiative.
Isn't that what we all need? People to take initiative and do what's right? I think that's awesome.
By the way, it also shows how much kids yearn simply to be at home. But that's another story!
I can appreciate people who home school and their reasons for wanting to do so, however, I do believe the statement "children just want to be at home" is very much in error. I addressed that statement today on my blog.
About Me: I'm a Christian author of a bunch of books, and a frequent speaker to women's groups and marriage conferences. Best of all, I love homeschooling my daughters, Rebecca and Katie. And I love to knit. Preferably simultaneously.
Stumble It!
What a great story! Thank God that fireman was willing to go above and beyond and to think outside of the box!