Today, my family and I went to Olive Garden. Due to my autism, I sometimes have a nervous tic, which presented itself while I was looking at the menu. I would have appreciated it if my mom hadn't then screamed at me to stop in front of the entire restaurant. FML
Collection
Fall
Dead leaves, the first cold of the season and an umbrella flipped inside out: fall, the season of grace.
Today, I went to my favorite restaurant with my mother. The food took a little longer than usual to arrive and my mom threw a fit, complete with kicking and screaming, in the middle of the restaurant. My mom and I are both banned for life. FML
Today, I went to eat with my girlfriend, her parents and my mother. My mother complained about every aspect of the service. When I told her she needed to assert herself, she took her pocketbook and hit me over the head. The whole restaurant stared at us while she yelled "Is that assertive enough?" FML
Today, I went to a Mexican restaurant with my family. I got stuck trying to decide whether I should get the fajitas or the tacos. I ended up getting the tacos because I didn't want the fajitas to come in sizzling, and I didn't want to "make a scene". My social anxiety has hit a new low. FML
Today, I begged my parents not to take me to a restaurant for my birthday, but sure enough, they took me to one, along with my siblings, aunts, uncles, you name it. Ordering with them is a nightmare, so after a whole half-hour the waiter still hadn’t gotten everyone’s complicated orders written down. FML
Today, my mother gave me a reprimand for my table manners when I didn't ask for someone to pass the vegetables I could have gotten myself. She then let out a raunchy fart at the table, and had the nerve to yell, "Did you ask to be excused?!" as I vacated the area. FML
Today, I was excited to go to a Japanese restaurant for my birthday. When the chef started doing tricks however, my spoiled brat of a sister started screaming and crying in terror. My parents insisted we leave and go to McDonald's because she was upset. She's 11. FML
Today, my family asked where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner. They shot down my every suggestion and decided on sushi. I'm allergic, so the only thing I could eat was a veggie appetizer. Dad said I need to "expand my palate." FML
Today, the family I was serving had ordered calamari and when I brought out the food, they started yelling at me because apparently their daughter was allergic to it. Just why would you order it then? FML
Today, I decided to work on my social anxiety by ordering some food. I waited in line, practicing my order in my head all the way. When I got to the front, I said my order with no mistakes. The cashier just stared blankly at me until I mumbled, "Never mind..." and left. FML
Today, I went out to dinner with my family. I was given a kids menu when the hostess sat us down. I'm 24. FML
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Top comments
Dave_Davington 34
I guess the question now is what exactly is this tic, precisely? If it's something minor like the occasional wink or eye twitch, then your mother is a tad over the line. If, on the other hand, it's something a little more noticeable like rubbing your nipples while barking like a dog, then her reaction is far more understandable.
interesting33 37
wow that is SO not ok of her to do that! it is natural and a classic response on your part. I hope she deals with her anger and realised this. An Autism for parents course might be good. It is hard when it is your own child I think to take a step back when looking at behaviour and realise it is. natural response.
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Comments (27)
interesting33 37
wow that is SO not ok of her to do that! it is natural and a classic response on your part. I hope she deals with her anger and realised this. An Autism for parents course might be good. It is hard when it is your own child I think to take a step back when looking at behaviour and realise it is. natural response.
blightsight 10
There is nothing natural about autism. It's a defect.
interesting33 37
You are missing my point. It is a condition. For someone with autism that is a perfectly natural response. And who are you to say Autism isn't natural? It is not ideal but it is still part of the natural developing process that goes a bit wrong. You are being very insensitive, you could have said that differently.
Cody Vertigo Bonthoux 15
pretty sure thats what your mother thinks of you asshole
WHSKitty4ever 23
How can “blightsight” say that it ISN’Ta natural response? WTF?
DragonMaiden7 15
Wow blightsight, you’re kind of like the asshole of FML aren’t you?
Dave_Davington 34
I guess the question now is what exactly is this tic, precisely? If it's something minor like the occasional wink or eye twitch, then your mother is a tad over the line. If, on the other hand, it's something a little more noticeable like rubbing your nipples while barking like a dog, then her reaction is far more understandable.
lexos 16
You know that he can't help it right? People with autism don't react that way cause they want to.
A Frenchy in Eire 31
No, it's not understandable. An autistic person does not control their tics and screaming at them is only going to cause distress and make the tics even worse. His mother must know that and therefore is a complete bitch for acting that way.
julfunky 29
Why are some tics acceptable and some not? When you have a condition you don’t get to pick and choose which tics you can control.
WHSKitty4ever 23
No it isn’t more understandable! OP can’t help it!
Dave_Davington 34
For all you self-righteous dullards who can't tell the difference, that was humour, not armchair psychiatry. I recommend you all see a proctologist about getting that stick removed from your rectal cavity.
SneezyBear 27
For argument's sake, if his "tic" was to rub his *mother's* nipples instead of his own, you still wouldn't find the mum's yelling understandable? Everyone has limits.
KittyMack 13
All the more reason to NOT yell at OP in public. A nervous tic will only get worse after stress like yelling (any loud noises are stressors but hostility AND noise is super stressing), and being made the center of attention through a public scene. The mother's freakout would make the tic worsen. So the more uncomfortable the tic, the more reason to keep as calm and comfortable an environment as possible to help give OP the best odds of suppressing it. What on earth do you think the freakout accomplishes? OP gonna be all "Wow thanks mum, that public humiliation made my anxiety totally vanish! I'm totes chill now. Well done!" ugh
RichardPencil 32
It’s ok, when you’re there, you’re family. And your family all know that your mom is an asshole.
Shawnie Gallant 24
**** her. She knows better.
Cali 57
I think that's against the law.
Shawnie Gallant 24
You know exactly what I meant.
Cali 57
♥︎
PenguinPal3017 19
I would have just walked out. I don't put up with stuff like that anymore. If you're going to treat me poorly I'm gone.
Chazzster 32
And now we know why OP’s family almost never goes out to eat in a restaurant... Frankly I can see some of both sides. Must the parents of autistic or other developmentally challenged children give up the ordinary niceties of going out as a family? And is it fair to shout at a child or young adult who acts out in potentially embarrassing ways if they cannot help it? I think the answer to both of these questions is no, but with a footnote. One of the problems autistic individuals face is an apparent inability to read social clues or always act in “socially acceptable” ways. We do not know the true extent of the “tic” that OP was expressing or if the other diners in the restaurant were giving social cues to OP’s family that the particular behavior was bothering them. While OP’s Mom was obviously wrong to scream at their autistic offspring, that does not mean that there was not a problem of some sort. And only OP knows for sure if they were truly unable to control their expressions of the “tic” or if they were unwilling to do so - There are degrees of every condition.
wanted_2_want 40
And she’d be grateful and lucky you don’t have Tourette’s Syndrome “FFFFFUCK!! “
Cody Vertigo Bonthoux 15
tell her not to be stupid when it comes to your condition
Charlie Given 28
Wow what a ****😈,tell her the word of the day is compassion😇
PhoenixChick 26
I hear ya, I have a nervous tic everytime I go into Olive Garden. It makes me leave and go eat literally anywhere else.