When we become parents, the large majority of our priorities shift. Our sons or daughters quite literally dominate our world from the moment they arrive, and thus the idea of them in distress or pain is almost too terrible to consider.
Of course, we all the know that the world is far from the perfect place we would wish it to be – fairness isn’t always forthcoming, bad things happen to good people.
As a result, it’s no surprise that we’re extremely protective of our children, and that as moms and dads we will quite literally go to the ends of the Earth to ensure that they’re happy and content, that they feel loved and secure.
Fortunately for one dad, he didn’t have to go to the ends of the Earth for his son. But that doesn’t make his incredible gesture any less special …
Kevin Harrison’s boy, Daniel, has autism, which means that throughout much of his young life he’s preferred his own company to that of others.
Unlike most children, his childhood hasn’t been defined by playing with boys and girls his age. In fact, according to Kevin, Daniel has never once expressed any sort of interest in hanging with friends.
That was until recently.
With his birthday fast approaching, Daniel wrote down two birthday wishes he had. One was to learn how to drive. The other was to make a few friends.
Luckily, he has quite the quick-thinking dad. Kevin took to social media and issued a plea for others on the internet to wish his son a very happy birthday.
Kevin’s Twitter post in late September read: “Daniel’s my son. Profoundly Autistic. Hasn’t one friend. It’s his birthday today. In his ECHP he wrote that his two wishes were to learn to drive and make friends. Please wish him a happy birthday. Please show him you care. Please share.
Of course, Kevin could hardly have expected what was to come next.
At the time of writing, Kevin’s post has over 17,000 interactions, and celebrities such as Mark Hamill, Russell Crowe, and Sharon Stone have chimed in to make Daniel’s big day extra special.
Another father who saw Kevin’s tweet replied: “Hey Daniel, this is my son Jacob, also autistic, on his birthday last month. I’m sure he would love to be your friend if you met, provided you don’t mind hearing a whole lot about superheroes. Hope you had a wonderful day.”
Kevin later added that Daniel has learned how to “drive” on Mario Cart.
“Don’t ever feel like you’re alone,” he said. “Because I felt like that, and I know other families will. You’re not alone. Just simply that, people do love you.”
What a wonderful story, and one that highlights just how important small gestures can be.
If this story brought a smile to your face, please share this article on Facebook to help brighten others’ days.
Meanwhile, leave a comment on Facebook if you want to wish Daniel a very happy birthday.
