‘He’s Joseph – and he has superpowers’
MUM WHO FEATURES ON NEW TV AD WITH SON, 10, TALKS ABOUT CHALLENGES OF BRINGING UP A
A MUM has explained why supermarket shoppers shouldn’t judge parents if their kids have a meltdown.
Catherine Morris, 51, lives with “super intelligent” son Joseph who has Asperger’s.
The 10-year-old, who was diagnosed at five years old, is a pupil at St Philip Neri with St Bede Catholic Voluntary Academy in Mansfield.
Catherine and Joseph have recently appeared in a new TV advert from Mccain and Family Fund, the UK’S biggest charity supporting families with disabled and seriously ill children.
Joseph will only eat fries, potato, waffles, chicken nuggets and pizza and nothing can be touching on the plate so the advert was the “perfect” thing for him to be involved with and the family now has a freezer full of chips.
Catherine, of Mansfield Woodhouse, said: “To me, it isn’t a disability because he is amazing. But there are a lot of challenges.
“Sometimes when we are in supermarkets together, he will have a complete meltdown on the floor.
“If it happens I just have to let him do it. I hear people tutting and it makes me really angry. To me, he is just Joseph and he has superpowers.
“He is super intelligent, he just got a head teacher’s award for teaching his teacher something new every day. He can name all of the tallest buildings in the world.
“He is very sensitive, he can only wear certain clothes, he can’t have anything with tags on.
“When you see supposedly normal children you realise how difficult it is. But he’s a very happy little boy.”
Catherine, who is a chocolatier for Free Spirit Chocolate, said lockdown was difficult as she had to homeschool Joseph while she worked.
She said: “I have struggled, it has just been me and Joseph for all the homeschooling which has been really difficult. I couldn’t afford to lose my customers so I had to suck it up and not sleep a lot.”
Catherine praised the Family Fund, which helps out the family with grants meaning they can enjoy holidays together.
Catherine said: “I discovered the Family Fund about four years ago through the council.
“Sometimes you think you’re alone so meeting other parents is really useful. I want the world to see that there is help out there.
“We’ve had a holiday every year which we wouldn’t have had otherwise. They had some extra funding this year which meant Joseph got a brand new computer.
“It has changed our lives, to be honest.”