Proof a little reptile "love" goes a long way

[zeion97]

I'll give you a little back story here, stay tuned and read this post, you'll be happy you did.. I have two younger brothers, both have autism, my youngst brother having it worse than my middle brother. He had no communication skills and couldn't make friends, being picked on almost every day just made this situation worse. It was this way since he started junior high, if you're younger or have kids you know that school is hard some times, especially in the current days. Well one day I brought home my first snake I could actually own and keep, my brother was Completely terrified of him. He refused to go near it and even cried thinking it could kill him. Well as the weeks went by he was around him more and more and slowly came around till one day he touched him. My little BP Simba just kinda did his thing and sat there. Fast forward a few weeks and he one day held him all by himself, with a huge smile across his face. No more fear was present at all. I felt good sharing my own love of reptiles with. Y brother, but it ment more later on then it did at this point. At the time I didn't know just how much this built his self esteem and his confidence.

So the weeks continue to go by and NARBC Tinley park is sneaking up on us faster than ever, when out of the blue my brother asked if he could come.. It shocked me, with all the crowds, the normal of people and even being that far away from home (two hours, it might not seem like a lot but this is from a child who thinks going 20 minutes is scary!) so he ended up coming with us to Tinley Park, he was quite shy at first but once inside and we were moving around he opened up to people like he had known them for years. He even went as far as picking out my Cinnamon BP and even getting his picture taken with Bubba The Alligator. This one day at the show changed my brother for the better, I had never seen him so happy in my life.

I look at him today and see a person who has changed more than I could ever believe, he now tries to build friends with anyone and everyone, his confidence level is through the roof even with the ladies! (little joke in there...) but most of all he loves reptiles now. 2 years ago my brother was terrified and wouldn't go near them, now he can't wait to come visit me and help take care of them, but most of all Tinley Park. Whenever he make friends now he always tells them about my snakes and says they should come by and see them, a little odd but it has it's positive points. Through my brother I've helped educate close to a dozen more kids on reptiles, some saying they were scary, to some saying they were "slimy scaley things" quoted directly. Infact two of the children now own Snakes themselves, one has a BP and another a BP and Corn. It might not seem like much what you do today, but remember that it can positively reflect how our children, family, and even friends see reptiles. To some of us they're a hobby, to others there our beloved pets, to others they're a passion in the end we all have one love, rReptiles. Some times we don't notice just how far a chain reaction can go, and I'm happy that mine went this far and has touched so many lives.

I also want to add that reptiles can do to autistic children what cats and dogs do, they can help them open up to the world. I talked to Jim Nesci (owner of cold blooded creatures) about the positive effects that reptiles have on autistic children and it really is fantastic. A child who never talks can pick up a reptile some times and immediately turn into a blooming flower.

In the end, never doubt what you love can do for others, wether they be autistic, or just the "average" kid, never doubt. I hope everyone enjoys reading this, I put 45 minutes into sharing this story. Here's some picture from two weeks ago of the child who once feared snakes.