Monday
Aug162010
Learning from Asperger's
Monday, August 16, 2010 at 08:42PM
One of the best parts about running this business is how much I've learned about myself. It's amazing to me that other people are also learning about themselves because of what we do.
This morning a Twitter follower mentioned that her son (who is an Asperger's kid) has developed a bit of an obsession with the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. I had to know details, so she wrote this email about the situation. What I didn't expect was the later half of the letter, in which she writes about how having a kid using the word "gay" all the time sparked important conversation. Please read this amazing letter. You'll see why I was choked up at the end of it, and why I asked her if I could share it with you.
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This morning a Twitter follower mentioned that her son (who is an Asperger's kid) has developed a bit of an obsession with the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. I had to know details, so she wrote this email about the situation. What I didn't expect was the later half of the letter, in which she writes about how having a kid using the word "gay" all the time sparked important conversation. Please read this amazing letter. You'll see why I was choked up at the end of it, and why I asked her if I could share it with you.
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Hi! I'm L - C's mom. C is 5 1/2 and has Asperger's (high functioning autism). Like most kids with Autism, C becomes obsessive with things he really likes. He went through a Toy Story phase and a train phase - but now that summer is here he has only one thing on his mind. The Ice Cream truck. He's decided that he wants to be an "ice cream truck man" when he grows up. Also like most kids with Aspergers - C is super smart for his age- he is very computer saavy and likes to Google and search youtube for whatever is on his mind. So this brings us to you .... A few weeks ago he typed "Ice Cream Truck" into the search box on YouTube. A video about your ice cream truck came up. I'm not sure if it was the music or the graphics - but something caught his eye and that was it - he's hooked!. This is what I now hear from him on a daily basis: (playing with his toy ice cream truck:) "It's Big. It's Gay. It's the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck!" He's obsessed. He draws pictures at school (see attached) - and he has decided that he's going to be the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck for halloween. Not the ice cream man - he wants to be THE TRUCK. (Yes, he found directions online that involve numerous cardboard boxes and duct tape) =/ Most recently he had a meltdown at the park because "I don't love Mr. Softee! I love the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck!!" Everyone he meets knows about TBGICT - hence my friends tweeting to say look at who made the list of top 100 street vendors! Congrats - we were all so excited! Now here's the really cool awareness part - (my best friend is gay - C knows he has an "Uncle Crew and Uncle Michael" that live together, but we've never explained anything), C started generalizing (a fancy special ed. term meaning he carried over his obsession into everyday life) - he'd say "It's big, it's gay, it's Tommy!" (his little brother) Not wanting him to inappropriately call classmates gay I said the first thing that came to my head - "C, don't say g." And he says to me ... (with all the wide eyed innocence of a 5 year old boy) "Why Mommy? Gay is a bad word?" Oh my goodness! No! So I called my friend Crew (who also happens to be an amazing psychotherapist specializing in GLBT issues) and said how do I deal with this??? It opened up a great opportunity to start talking to C and explaining diversity and while we were at it - equal rights. So THANK YOU Big Gay Ice Cream Truck for paving the way to a great conversation. We're out on Long Island - hope to get into the city to see you in person some day! Thanks for reading all this! I'll confess - I was a bit "star-struck" to get a tweet from you! =) L  |
Reader Comments (7)
Oh wow that is So Cool!
:) Wish I could've made it to your truck last week when I was in NYC, but it never lined up *sad face*
This is great!
It's hard not to love the BGICT!
I'm obsessed too!
Cheers!
That is awesome! :)
Made my day.
I love it! Teary-eyed here, too!
Dear L..
C intuitively knew something that anyone who has visited Doug in the BGICT knows and that is that not only is the wonderful ice cream FABULOUS (just polished off a "Salty Pimp," myself--yummmm!), but Doug himself serves up such infectious delight and kindness that people are willing to stand for 20 minutes for an opportunity to order and exchange pleasantries with this lovely human being....
So, my dear, DO plan to come into the city, imbibe one of the city's best eats and meet a really NICE guy.... : )