[Parenting Essay] "Why is everyone laughing?" My eldest daughter with ASD stiffened her expression at an event: The boundaries of words and hopes for the future, as told by a nurse and father of two

Good evening! I'm KP Nurse.

I am a qualified nurse, and while leveraging my medical knowledge and raising two daughters as a father, I am currently preparing to open my own administrative scrivener office.

The other day, my eldest daughter successfully won a lottery for an event hosted by the city, and I accompanied her as a parent.

Before the event even started, the announcer hosting the event complimented her clothes and appearance many times, and my daughter was delighted from the very beginning.

As a doting parent, just watching my daughter shyly smile with joy was the start of a happy time that blew away my daily fatigue.

The event itself was very meaningful and proceeded smoothly without any issues, but a small incident occurred during the "Q&A corner" at the end.

1. The laughter that filled the venue and my daughter's small misunderstanding of taking things literally

My daughter, thinking it was a good opportunity, raised her hand, was called upon, and spoke her heart out when the microphone was pointed at her.

The content was so pure that it was a truly heartwarming and cute answer that made everyone in the venue soften their eyes.

At that moment, warm and gentle laughter naturally arose from the audience.

From an adult's perspective, it was "good laughter" because my daughter's comment was so adorable that it instantly softened the atmosphere of the venue.

However, when I looked at my daughter, who was still holding the microphone, her expression stiffened and tensed up in no time.

"Why is everyone laughing at me?"

My daughter assumed that everyone was "making fun of her and laughing," and she was deeply hurt.

In fact, my eldest daughter has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

She has a trait where she is a little bit bad at reading the hidden complexities of psychology, and she often takes the words she hears and the situations in front of her literally.

Because she perceived "laughter = an attack on me/something immoral," the space that should have been so fun turned into a scary place in an instant.

2. "You weren't being laughed at, you made everyone smile"

I made eye contact with my daughter when she returned to her seat and slowly wove my words.

"Eldest daughter, that's not it. Everyone wasn't being mean and laughing at you; they were so happy and smiled because you said something so cute and wonderful."

"You didn't make anyone sad; your words made many people in that place feel happy. That is a truly wonderful thing."

I explained to her carefully, one by one, taking time until she was convinced that she was not being laughed at in a bad way.

My daughter, who had been listening to me intently, eventually showed an expression as if she understood, and she smiled in agreement.

Seeing the look of relief on my daughter's face at that moment, I felt truly saved as a parent.

3. Gratitude for the environment that helps raise my child, and a parent's earnest prayer

Reflecting on what happened this time, I felt a genuine sense of gratitude, thinking, "I'm so glad we were able to participate in this event as a family."

If we had stayed locked away in the safe world of our living room at home, the opportunity to learn about this "gradation of the world's warm atmosphere" would never have come.

By venturing out into society, such as events hosted by schools or the city, and even while occasionally getting things wrong and feeling hurt, she gains new experiences in understanding others, realizing each time that "there is also this kind of warm laughter."

When I think about how the surrounding social environment itself is providing an irreplaceable opportunity for my eldest daughter to grow significantly as a person, I cannot be more grateful.

Also, though I may be getting a bit carried away as a doting parent, I couldn't help but feel incredibly proud as a father that my daughter possesses such warm energy, capable of making the people around her smile, even if unintentionally.

Children grow up so incredibly fast.

For now, I am still close enough to explain things to her whenever something happens, but the time will inevitably come when she must leave her parents' side and walk through society on her own two feet.

No matter what walls my daughter may face in the future, I want her to be able to join hands with the people around her, let her unique and wonderful personality shine, and always live with a smile.

With that earnest wish in my heart, this was a record of a precious day spent walking home hand-in-hand under the summer sky.

Thank you very much for reading until the end.

I hope tomorrow will be a wonderful day for all of you as well.

Your likes and follows are a great daily encouragement!

#Parenting #ParentingEssay #FatherOfTwo #Nurse #PsychiatricNurse #ParentingDad #AdministrativeScrivener #PreparingToOpenBusiness #SummerVacation #ASD #DevelopmentalDisability #ParentingWorries #Empathy #UnderstandingOthers #DotingParentClub #LivingInTheMoment