Russell Williams
Well-Known Member
And if any of you are dealing with autistic children and/or adults might be helpful. Even if it is not helpful it is probably thought provoking to some.
My wonderful daughter Loretta is autistic. This may or may not be related to her high moral sense and inability to detect shades of gray in things that do not directly affect her day-to-day living.
Loretta is a firm supporter of the union and adamantly opposed to slavery. She was appalled when her grandfather told her the one of his, and therefore her, female ancestors had taking cookies to the southern prisoners on Federal Hill. Loretta and could not grasp any good reason for an ancestor of hers to be providing comforting food to traitors who were trying to destroy the union and, in the process, continue the existence of slavery.
How could I describe her ancestors actions in a way in which there would be no shades of gray?
I explained to Lori that the war against traitors was very expensive and that the more money the United States government spent on food for the prisoners the less money there was to buy bullets for the United States Army. I further explained that the more cookies her ancestor took to Confederate prisoners the less money the United States government had spent on feeding them and that the more money the United States government saved by having to buy less food for the southern prisoners the more money the United States government had to buy bullets to defeat the traitors and hasten the end of slavery.
This explanation put Lori's mind at rest and she felt comforted knowing that while her female ancestor could not join the United States Army her female ancestor did all within her power to help the United States Army by making lots of cookies to feed to the Confederate prisoners and thus free the slaves and end the war more quickly.
My wonderful daughter Loretta is autistic. This may or may not be related to her high moral sense and inability to detect shades of gray in things that do not directly affect her day-to-day living.
Loretta is a firm supporter of the union and adamantly opposed to slavery. She was appalled when her grandfather told her the one of his, and therefore her, female ancestors had taking cookies to the southern prisoners on Federal Hill. Loretta and could not grasp any good reason for an ancestor of hers to be providing comforting food to traitors who were trying to destroy the union and, in the process, continue the existence of slavery.
How could I describe her ancestors actions in a way in which there would be no shades of gray?
I explained to Lori that the war against traitors was very expensive and that the more money the United States government spent on food for the prisoners the less money there was to buy bullets for the United States Army. I further explained that the more cookies her ancestor took to Confederate prisoners the less money the United States government had spent on feeding them and that the more money the United States government saved by having to buy less food for the southern prisoners the more money the United States government had to buy bullets to defeat the traitors and hasten the end of slavery.
This explanation put Lori's mind at rest and she felt comforted knowing that while her female ancestor could not join the United States Army her female ancestor did all within her power to help the United States Army by making lots of cookies to feed to the Confederate prisoners and thus free the slaves and end the war more quickly.
