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Shekira has read countless stories of strangers going out of their way to do something extra for kids with special needs [3], but as the mom of a boy with autism [4], she had yet to experience this unexpected kindness — that is, until she stopped by a beauty supply store to run a quick errand and a stranger intervened as her son was on the verge of a major meltdown.
"Jaiden was restless and hungry, but we had to make a quick run to the store on the way home," Shekira wrote on Instagram [6]. "When he gets that way, it is almost impossible to get him to focus and stand still, so he was all over the store and touching pretty much everything."
However, Shekira knew that Jaiden couldn't help it and was left speechless by a stranger's reaction to his behavior. "This woman, that we never met, saw him having a small meltdown and instead of the usual stares/silent judgment/attitude, she was so kind," she wrote.
The woman offered to watch Jaiden while Shekira and her mom finished shopping. She had the child start dancing while she did a "mini photo shoot" with her phone and the only person happier than Jaiden was his grateful mom. "My son was so happy. I've never experienced anything like that in my six years of being an autism parent," she wrote. "And I can't explain how grateful I was. Jaiden cried when we had to leave, but he gave her a hug and told her he would miss his new friend."
Jaiden and Shekira returned to the store the following week, this time with ice cream in hand. "He remembered that she said chocolate was her favorite flavor ice cream, so he brought one to her job to give her," she wrote in a separate post [8]. "She didn't even remember telling him, but he remembered!"
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