Read a mom's heartfelt thank-you to the football player who ate lunch with her son.

'I'm not sure what exactly made this incredibly kind man share a lunch table with my son, but I'm happy to say that it will not soon be forgotten.'

Bo Paske, a sixth-grader at Montford Middle School in Tallahassee, Florida, knows what a social minefield a school cafeteria can be.

Eating lunch at school can be the most challenging part of a kid's day, especially if they're not like other kids. Aside from entering one of the most difficult life transitions (puberty), Bo is on the autism spectrum and sometimes makes erratic movements or suddenly says strange things.

Kids eating lunch. Image via iStock.

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What a tube of toothpaste can teach us about the power of words.

Someone called me "four eyes" for the first time in middle school.

It didn't bother me enough to stop wearing my glasses, which I'd proudly worn since third grade — but those first bullying words stuck with me.

Yep, that's me and my beloved "four eyes" days! Image from the author, used with permission.

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A boy with autism sang at a school talent show. It didn't go as planned. It went better.

Last Saturday night, 13-year-old Jagger Lavely took the stage at a middle school talent show to sing "Let It Go" from the movie "Frozen."

Jagger, who has autism, doesn't attend Oak Middle School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. But since his school for kids with autism is out of town, he was allowed to participate in their annual "Oak's Got Talent" event.

He put on his Olaf costume (excellent choice, Jagger) and took to the stage.

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