"Does your child eat sand?"

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

I spoke recently with a group that included some childcare providers. Our topic was "Building on Strengths—Confronting Challenges." I had shared some stories, and then I asked the group to share some of their stories.
One childcare provider told the story of how one of her students, an autistic child, sat down in the sand box and began eating the sand…a lot of sand.

So his teacher called his mother. Now the teacher wasn’t upset; she knew how things would turn out, but she really wanted the mother to know then rather than waiting until the end of the day, afraid that she would get upset.

As it turns out, the mother of this autistic child wasn’t upset at all. Instead she said when told about the sand, "Wonderful! He’s discovered textures!"

This mother made a choice to be positive, to see the best in this situation; to celebrate something that at first appeared to be a problem. Remember this child’s mother as you build on your strengths and confront your challenges…while you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

Discover more great stories like this one!