These days, most of us wear a mask when going into stores and other businesses. As a matter of fact, many companies make people wear masks just to come inside. And for most, that seems like a reasonable measure to keep themselves and others safe.
But some people have a hard time wearing a mask. And there are exceptions in place for those individuals. That includes children under two years of age. It also includes those with disabilities who can’t physically wear a mask.
Colin Newsman
Colin is a young boy with non-verbal Down Syndrome. For him, wearing a mask is incredibly difficult. That’s why his mom, Nadina Newsman, doesn’t make him wear one. Her decision is in accordance with applicable laws.
Her car broke down
While Nadina was picking up dinner at a local Boston Market, her vehicle broke down. So, she called someone to come pick her and Colin up. But in the meantime, she didn’t want her son to have to stay in the hot car.
Going inside the restaurant
That’s when Nadina decided to take her son inside the Boston Market restaurant. At this particular location, visitors are required to wear a mask. While Nadina had one on, Colin didn’t due to his challenges.
Calling Nadina out
A staff member of the restaurant told Colin’s mom that her son had to wear a face mask to enter the building. Nadina tried to explain the situation but to no avail. No matter what she said, the employee just kept repeating the same thing over and over… her son needed a mask.
Waiting for her ride
Nadine also explained that she had a ride coming. She just wanted to stay inside the air-conditioning with her son for about 15 minutes. After all, it was extremely hot outside and Colin wasn’t feeling well. She didn’t want him to get sicker due to the heat.
The owner got involved
The owner agreed the little boy should be wearing a mask. Nadina was surprised that nobody knew Colin wasn’t required to wear one. She said,
“I found it shocking that the girl working at Boston Market didn’t understand that and didn’t have the proper training, the proper information and nor did she have common sense.”
The police were called
Nadina couldn’t believe this was happening to her and her son. She said, “I felt anxious, I felt nervous, I was really shocked that this is what I was dealing with. I felt sorry for my son that he was listening to this, that he was being treated this way.”
Kind and understanding
When the police heard what happened, they knew they had to do something about it. It wasn’t the little boy’s fault that he was in this situation. So, they offered to give the mom and son a ride home.
No charges filed
Luckily, Boston Market didn’t file any charges. They also later apologized for the situation. They released a statement that read,
“Boston Market strives to provide the best guest experience possible. Guest and employee health and safety is our top priority and we sincerely apologize that the guest experience was not met while trying to maintain these safety standards. We are retraining our staff at this location to ensure a situation like this never happens again.”
It’s important to be compassionate
Tensions are running high with everything going on in the world. But that doesn’t mean we should take our frustrations out on others. It’s important to be compassionate, even when we don’t necessarily understand someone else’s struggles.
Watch the news video for yourself to see exactly what happened to this mother and her son.
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