A boy with autism whose mom says is the victim of bullying thought nobody would come to his birthday party but lit up with joy when one pal proved showing up matters.
CJ Stephenson, from nearby Grand Rapids, Michigan, was diagnosed with level 1 autism, which impacts his social skills, as he struggles to read cues and make eye contact.
Mom Kennedy said the condition has made making friends difficult, as though CJ is very outgoing and tries to make friends quickly, he often gets bullied once other children realize he is different.
As a result, Kennedy was worried about her son’s upcoming roller rink birthday party, as she thought no other children in his class would come and wanted to avoid heartbreak.
Though no invites had been sent out, CJ still excitedly told his classmates about his upcoming party.
After school, his classmate Jelani approached Kennedy and asked if he could come to the party, and so she wrote her number down but didn’t tell CJ, in case Jelani’s mom couldn’t confirm or take her son to the event.
As CJ skated around the roller rink, Jelani leaned on a barrier and shouted over to his friend.
CJ immediately took off his glasses and joyously headed over towards Jelani, who said, “Hey, CJ, how are you doing, buddy?”
Kennedy’s mom, who happened to be recording her grandson’s skating, captured the pair’s sweet meeting on video.
Kennedy said the gesture from Jelani truly made her son’s day, and for the rest of the time at the rink the pair played games, bought matching swords and gifts from the gift shop, and shared cake.
After sharing the video on social media, it immediately went viral with millions of views, and commenters saying it proved showing up matters and praised Jelani for being a good friend.
Kennedy, who also praised Jelani’s mom for staying throughout the party, said: “CJ is very outgoing and often makes friends quickly, but once other kids realize he’s different, they sometimes begin to exclude him.
“We didn’t invite classmates because he doesn’t have any other friends his age and gets bullied, so we wanted to avoid the heartbreak from the jump.
“He did tell his class himself about the birthday party and Jelani actually came up to me after school the day before the party asking if he could come.
“I had never seen another child be so kind toward CJ, and it truly made my entire day.
“In that moment, I knew the birthday party we had been so nervous about was a huge success.
“The rest of the party went beautifully.
“I hope this story encourages parents of neurodivergent children and children on the spectrum by reminding them that there are kind-hearted kids out there who may step up for their child.
“I also hope it encourages people to show up, even when it feels uncomfortable.
“Jelani’s mom brought him and stayed, even though we didn’t know each other well, and that decision meant the world to my son.
“It can be hard as a parent to step into unfamiliar social situations for your child, but doing so can truly change the trajectory for another family.”
