Businessman Befriends Autistic Girl on Flight, Makes Everyone's Day

This hit me pretty hard for some reason. Maybe it's because I have 3 kids and two of them are girls ( yes, they are daddy's girls). If you have kids this story is worth taking a quick look.

On Jan. 6, after spending a week at Disney World, Shanell Mouland and her family were on a flight from Orlando, Fla., to Philadelphia, to catch a connection to their hometown of New Brunswick, Canada. Mouland's husband and their 5-year-old daughter, Grace, sat in one row, while Mouland and 3-year-old Kate, who has autism, sat behind them. Mouland was a bit nervous — depending on Kate's mood, the young girl's behavior can range from affectionate to hysterical, so a patient and understanding seatmate would be crucial.

In an open letter titled, "Dear Daddy in Seat 16C," posted on Thursday on her blog "Go Team Kate," Mouland writes, "I watched the entire Temple basketball team board the plane, and wondered if one of these giants might sit by Kate. They all moved toward the back. She would have liked that … I watched many Grandmotherly women board and hoped for one to take the seat but they walked on by. For a fleeting moment I thought we might have a free seat beside us, and then you walked up and sat down with your briefcase and your important documents and I had a vision of Kate pouring her water all over your multi-million-dollar contracts, or house deeds, or whatever it was you held. The moment you sat down, Kate started to rub your arm. Your jacket was soft and she liked the feel of it. You smiled at her and she said: 'Hi, Daddy, that's my mom.' Then she had you."

The article goes on to tell about how this "important business man" entertained the girl on the flight.

It goes to show, at least for me, that you cannot judge a book by it's cover. I would never peg a man dressed up in an important business suit to be someone so loving and caring. Just shows my own preconceived notions I suppose.

That'll learn me

Yepp, I detected a little bit of sexism there...oh no...basketball players....(male)....oh no...a businessman....oh, won't a grandmotherly type sit down next to us....


Personally, as a man, I happen to not the best with children of that age. Obviously, some men are

But, I can honestly say I would have tried to do my best to accommodate the situation. He obviously was a father (as we read in the article), and a good person, too

my friends, that is a man being a "real man". For all you men out there aspiring to be a "real man", take note.

Definitely could of used his help the time my niece stayed here.
I can totally relate to this women and my sister.
And what I think is so cute about the story, her name is the same as my niece.

"nice going man"

Cool story. And I can relate from travelling with kids.

I flew from Phoenix to Seattle with my two boys when they were three and four and being late for the plane, and having connecting flights, had to take any available seats.

My oldest is a chatterbox who will adopt anyone and he got seated within sight of me. Before long he had a group of elderly women cleaning out their purses for candy and crackers.

It was the man who sat with my youngest child that surprised me the most. He was perhaps mid twenties, quite slick and metrosexual and at the same time corn-rowed, high-end gangsta. Very elegant, so I sure didn't think kids would be his cup of tea.

He and my youngest sat a few seats in front of me and I could hear my kid befriending him. After we could take our seatbelts off, I went to check the kids and I kind of apologized but he just shrugged. I was worried about the poor guy as my kids are hyper social and this was the mellow one. After about an hour I could hear he had given up his stoic silence and was chatting to my boy and helping him with his drinks, seatbelt and stuff. When I went to the washroom my kid had his arm through the guys and was leaning on him. I asked if he wanted to switch places with me and my kid protested so with the flight almost over we left it alone. When I went to make sure my boy had a seatbelt on before landing, the two of them were dead asleep, arm in arm, my kid drooling down this guys expensive arm. It sure was cute.

So you cannot judge a book by its cover. I know I did and was wrong. I subconsciously judged him by sex, age, social position, and being a different race even though under different circumstances, such as in business, I wouldn't.

And the grannies looked thoroughly worn out by my oldest by the time we got to Seattle