autism, life

Reference to autism on 90210 last night—

Something Ethan said on 90210 last night made me think. He was in the woods with a friend and just talking. He said this:

Ethan: “People think I’m someone different than I am.”

Friend, Liam: “Let me ask you something, why do you smile?”

Ethan: “I smile because I don’t want to cause trouble for anyone. I don’t want to make anyone’s life harder. Not my teachers, not my coaches, definitely not my parents. My brother’s autistic, so they need me to be easy, not make any waves. I don’t want to cause any conflicts so I just pretend like I’m fine. Even when I’m not.”

That really got me thinking. That is exactly the way I am…