My Dad's brother and his wife have come for their yearly visit from Spain (expats) and usually I enjoy the experience, get to play Daily Mail Bingo etc with their talk of immigrants bleeding the country dry / the Benefits Bill / Winter Fuel Allowance
This year DS has a diagnosis and is three. Apparently my parents had already said he is autistic before I arrived but when I got there I explained a bit about it, not too much as it's impossible to talk about the triad of impairments, social interaction, social communication as people glaze over.
Anyway it was fine, DS was fine, a bit nervous with them being there at first then stayed out of the way doing his own thing.
When they left the woman made a point of saying, "Goodbye DS" which was nice of her. He totally blanked her as he does and I patiently explained that he doesn't even do hello and goodbye to my parents who he has known for three years and sees twice a week, and how well he had done with strangers in a familiar place at all.
"Oh he's been fine, nothing wrong with him", says she. "He just ain't got no manners"
Of course I just gawped a bit then left the room as the red mist descended but I really wish I had said something.
It's always the way isn't it?