As schools reopen across the country, children and their parents feel anxious and overwhelmed for the new term.
8-year-old Connor Crites, who has autism, was starting second grade at Minneha Elementary School in Wichita, Kansas should have been playing with friends but instead he was crying all by himself in a corner.
It was clear that Connor was very overwhelmed by the change in routine and needed help, and help he did get from 8-year-old Christian, also starting second grade, who saw him crying in a corner and walked over to him and took his hand.
Posted by Courtney Coko Moore on Sunday, August 18, 2019
Connor, clung to his new friend’s hand and walked with him into the school. A heartwarming picture of the two boys holding hands was clicked by Courtney Moore, Christian’s mother, who was a witness to the scene.
“I saw him on the ground with Connor as Connor was crying in the corner and he was consoling him. He grabs his hand and walks him to the front door. We waited until the bell rang and he walked him inside of the school. The rest is history. They have an inseparable bond,” Moore said.
She posted the photo on Facebook and wrote, “Blessings come in many forms and God enables us to be a vessel of love!!” The picture was seen by many including April Crites, Connor’s mother, she was moved to tears, but knowing that kids like Christian were there in her son’s class, made her feel better.
“I fear every day that someone is going to laugh at him because he doesn’t speak correctly, or laugh at him because he doesn’t sit still or because he jumps up and down and flaps his hands,” Crites said.
Both mothers wanted to make a big impact with this picture, “It doesn’t matter color, it doesn’t matter gender, it doesn’t matter disability and it doesn’t matter anything, just be kind, open your heart. It’s what we need in this world,” Crites said.
The boys are not at all bothered by what people thought of the situation and just have a simple message for the world: “Be nice” they said.
Wow, I’m literally teary eyed reading the comments from the mother and grandmother of the little boy whom my son helped…
Posted by Courtney Coko Moore on Sunday, August 18, 2019
This simple yet powerful message will surely impact the world for the better, we all need to be nice to one another.