BLEACH?!

I read a blog post today that made me sick to my stomach. Apparently people are giving their children something called Miracle Mineral Solution in the hopes that it will cure their autism. Cure autism? I'm okay with parents working with their kids on social behaviours and coping mechanisms, I'm even somewhat okay with medicating kids for things like anxiety that often come hand in hand with austism spectrum disorders, but I am not okay with people chasing down cures and being willing to subject their children to anything in the hopes that it will make them "normal." Normal... what does that even mean?

I'm not telling anyone how to raise their kids, parents of kids with autism spectrum disorders certainly get enough of that, but I am calling out any parents who are willing to make their kids swallow what is essentially bleach. You read that right, bleach. As in, make sure it's in a locked or unreachable cupboard so your kids can't get into it, very poisonous, bleach. Not only is it bleach, it's the bleach they use to make paper white. Any parents reading this that are considering taking such a drastic measure to "fix" your child should note that the FDA has released several statements regarding the dangerous nature of this product.

I find this terrifying. I can't even wrap my brain around the idea that a parent would be so desperate for a "normal" child. Do you seriously think your child thinks that it's worth swallowing or trying out every single bullshit cure that comes along? Is it worth it? What if your child gets sick? Do you really think that swallowing a potentially dangerous chemical will improve their quality of life? You know what improves a child's quality of life, not having parents that think that there is something so wrong with them that they're willing to chance poisoning them.

Unconditional love doesn't mean bleaching your child.