This Autism Journey

When my son was younger, he never seemed to latch on to any toys or take an interest in kid stuff. This made parenting him extra difficult because I always had to be the one to show him how to play with a toy or to introduce him to superheroes or kids’ TV shows. It was a challenge to keep him entertained. 

Then one day, I turned the TV on because I needed a break and there were The Wiggles. If you don’t know, The Wiggles are a preschool band that exploded back in the late ’90s or early 2000s. The original members are Jeff, Greg, Anthony, and Murray. They sing, dance, and have tons DVDs and TV shows. Well, wouldn’t you know it! He FINALLY latched on to The Wiggles! He was so mesmerized by this group that he had a Wiggles-themed birthday party, our car rides consisted of listening to their music, buying their t-shirts, and even letting him play games on their website. He was so happy to have all things Wiggles and I was happy because he finally latched on to something that was in the zeitgeist.

Then they announced a North American Tour. Finally, the pinnacle of all our devotion would culminate in seeing them live!! The dates were announced, and the closest venue was in Hershey, Pennsylvania. So, $250 bucks and a 2-hour drive later we find ourselves in the front row of the Hershey Theater waiting for the show to start. Our son was so excited, and we were so excited. We were so ready for him to finally have a kids’ experience that was age-appropriate. After all, this was going to be his first concert.  Before the show, they played an episode of one of their TV shows on a big screen. We waited in anticipation and excitement as he bounced in his seat and sang along to the video.

As showtime neared the lights in the auditorium started to dim. I remember looking at my son just so ready for him to have this amazing experience that was about to start. I was so certain he was going to love it!  The curtain starts going up and the crowd starts to cheer loudly with kids jumping all around, parents cheering and clapping, and The Wiggles start walking and waving as they take the stage, but our son begins to scream. Yes, I do mean scream. Not a scream of excitement or joy but a scream of pure panic and fear. Full throated with his whole being. You could hear him over the cheer of the crowd.

As the cheers started to fade my son’s screams continued at full volume. We tried to calm him down in his front-row seat, but he was not having it. As the Wiggles attempted to start the show my son was screaming bloody murder right in their faces. About 45 seconds passed, which felt like an eternity, and it became clear that he was not going to settle down. My husband had to carry him out of the theater into the hallway, but you could still hear him. My mother-in-law and I just looked at each other with a look of “What the hell just happened?” on our faces.

Once he was out and the Wiggles could finally start the show, Murray, dear sweet Murray, looked directly at me with compassion and understanding as he mouthed the words “Sorry” to which I replied, “It’s ok”. We shared a moment.

The show started to progress and about 20 minutes into it, my husband brought our son back. He was quieter but still scared. Luckily, he came in when they were dancing and singing to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. That seemed to soothe him. Until it didn’t. He was taken back out. He missed about 2/3rds of the concert but my mother-in-law and I thoroughly enjoyed it however once it ended we were relieved.

We had just gone through a rollercoaster of emotions and wanted to grab something to eat but we accidentally picked a restaurant that didn’t serve alcohol, and let me tell you, we were in desperate need of a drink.

I don’t remember the car ride home, but I remember not being able to process the events for a couple of weeks. I remember the palpable sense of disappointment and confusion. We went from being so happy and excited to being shell-shocked and exhausted all in 1 hour. I don’t regret taking him to this concert, but I also remember wishing we could have a re-do. Well, what do you know, the following year they came back, and we bought tickets again! We had a great time and he loved it. I think it also helped that we sat on the balcony.

I hope you enjoyed this little story.

Take care!