Is typical really better?

Several times in the past few years I've taken my son on long trips to visit friends and family. I'm always worried about how he'll fit in and how he'll act when mixed with a group of typically developing children.

I gotta say, every single time I've done this we've left feeling very proud of our little boy. He may have some troubles communitcating and some social issues but, seriously folks, there are some badly behaved typical kids out there.

This is definately going to sound like one of those "kids these days" rants. But I'm seeing some seriously disrespectful behaviour in some of my friends' and family member's children. Talking back, not listening, rude remarks, swearing, whining....the list goes on.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a perfect parent. My kids are not little robots who always follow the rules. But man, my kids are respectful. Yes, even my autistic 4 yr old knows enough to not disrespect someone else.

Maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine. But every.single.time I'm glad I'm taking my son home instead of theirs. And that's a strong statement considering what we live with day to day.