Every now and then, ordinary people carry out extraordinary deeds that renew our faith in humanity.
Why not share this sincere Facebook message that was posted a few years ago? It still makes me cry every time I read it.
It concerns a father who recalls a time when a girl unexpectedly dropped by his office and requested his approval to ask his autistic child to prom.
Many times, children with specific disabilities share the same interests as other kids their age. Every 17-year-old prioritizes finding a date for a school dance, but if no one accepts, it can be devastating to one’s self-esteem.
Teenagers who go out alone risk being socially destroyed, and not finding a partner puts their self-confidence in grave danger.
Some kids are oversensitive and can’t handle everything, especially those with special needs like autism.
As his autistic son Jon prepared for his high school prom, Mike Larson, the father in this story, decided to take notes. He then posted the entire account on Facebook, where millions liked and shared it. Watch the video below to see it!
Mike captioned a photo of his son Jon and his prom date Maddi. “He has autism and is a junior. Senior Maddi asked Jon’s mother and I a month ago if she could go to the prom with him. I teach at their school”.
Mike continued, “Maddi had met Jon through a school organization that fosters friendships between special needs children and typical children.
It’s also his prom because he’s a junior, she said. “I believe he should be allowed to go. I told her that if he wanted to go with her, we would be overjoyed”.
Maddi wanted Jon to have the time of his life, so she decided to bring him to her senior prom. She did some research and discovered that Jon’s favorite color was orange, which allowed her to purchase an orange dress.
She also reserved a table for them (along with another couple) at his preferred eatery, which served chicken fingers, French fries, and chocolate milk.
Maddi wanted to ask his father first before inviting Jon to the dance.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted Mike Larson as saying, “It was a fairly breathtaking experience for me”.
He praised the article getting more than a million views and his writing being circulated around the world in 2019. About Jon’s health, a number of people have asked. He is still at home and is doing fine and happy”.
Mike also disclosed that Maddi is now married and is “embarrassed” by all the attention; she didn’t consider it to be particularly noteworthy. We appreciate the well wishes from everyone. “Mike said following his post.
Following his autism diagnosis more than 16 years ago, Jon’s father imagined a variety of scenarios.
Mike Larson said, “I never thought it would happen for our family, and not only did it happen, it occurred in such a wonderful way. “And having it continue to make people’s lives better is more than I could have imagined. It will stand out as one of our best memories”.
It’s encouraging to know that there are still good people in the world.
It shows how considerate this young lady is to have first asked his parents. For the sake of remembering that special day, I hope they were captured in numerous photographs.
