Sorry for your inconvenience, from Autism

Well, this was the weekend I dreaded. Finding sturdier training wheels for a bigger bike. And hey guess what, still didn't manage to find them. But thanks for the lovely shopping experience at Walmart (insert sarcasm). It was the Sunday I got the look. You know the stare I'm referring too. When your child is having a meltdown and you can't get out of the store fast enough. People think your child is spoiled and you are ruining their day. All I could do was smile through and get out as quickly as I could.

Look, my child learns by mimicking. If she sees kids acting up, she will mimic that. One kid was having a tantrum in the Customer Service line and slapping on her mom, which had Doodle craning to see what was going on. And that set off a whole other world of problems. She didn't want to be at the store to begin with. The moment we walked in I didn't grab a buggy for her to ride in which makes her more comfortable in a store. All the buggies were wet and I didn't feel like cleaning another one out from the rain.

Every freaking child (toddler to 5) was having issues also and screaming their heads off. By the time I got the new set of training wheels and got to the register Doodle was in full blown meltdown mode. She didn't know why she was so sad, but I knew. With all the kids flipping their wigs, it was extremely crowded (nothing new for Walmart), she was going into full blown sensory overload.

Why did the first set of training wheels have to bend on her? That's what started her downward spiral. Something that was suppose to hold her weight didn't. They were defective. So it was back to the store to trade them out for something else. The next set I got didn't work either causing her to fall off her bike again. And I've gotten my old bike set up for her too. The front wheel glows a beautiful blue, it's got her bell on it and a basket to bring her friends along for the ride. The only problem is she can't ride a bike without training wheels. She has no balance. None! So we have to do training wheels.

But I am determined. I will spend an hour this afternoon just to teach her how to ride without training wheels if it kills me. (Note to self: it will kill my patience.)

So yeah, my child was the reason people gave me nasty looks. But let me tell you something. Had it not been for the other kids flipping their wigs, her meltdown wouldn't have even been as bad as it had been. So to the parents of the "normal" kids, get your kid under control so mine can have a more enjoyable shopping experience and people don't give me "the look". This has been a public service announcement.

Have a great day.

This was Doodle hours before the great meltdown.