27-year-old Briton Dave Grounds and his 8-year-old son Reese are true friends and a strong, albeit small, family. Today in their lives there is a lot of laughter, jokes and fun. However, this was not always the case. It so happened that Dave had to raise his son alone since he was six months old.
The task itself is not an easy task for a 20-year-old guy. Things got even more complicated when Reese was diagnosed with autism at the age of four. The child was very restless, often cried, did not succumb to any persuasion and distractions. Dave was simply in despair from his own impotence.
Doctors and teachers tirelessly talk about the dangers of television for children. However, in the case of Reese, the cult superhero movie was a lifesaver. The observant father noticed with what rapture his little son follows the adventures of Spider-Man.
And I understood how to act. On the Internet, the creative dad found a Spider-Man costume and bought it. The very next day, Dave did not hesitate to put on a suit and come to pick up his son from school in this form. Imagine the reaction of first-graders who suddenly saw a real, live superhero from their favorite movie in the schoolyard!
When the son had another crisis, and he ran into the bedroom, Dave changed into a suit again and went to him.
“At first Reese was smiling, then he was crying again,” Dave recalls. I started doing stupid dances, fooling around. And he joined me. And then we played console together. For a long time, Reese could not understand how I could be his father and Spider-Man at the same time. But now he has realized this and considers it amazing.
The most amazing thing is that Dave didn’t stop there. The fame of the amazing comic book superhero dad quickly spread among Reese’s friends and classmates. Friends and neighbors began to invite him to children’s holidays and parties. Dave perfectly got used to the character, easily found an approach to children, and communicated with them in a language they understood.
Today, Dave, in the form of Spiderman, not only helps his son calm down and cope with bouts of illness. He visits children’s hospitals and tries to help also other babies suffering from nervous and mental disorders. “People are surprised how I have the strength and energy to think about other children if my son is so sick,” says Dave.
“But I feel like I can help someone else, and I just do it. Children with the same problems as Reese believe that the real Spider-Man has come to befriend them and help them. So I’ll keep doing what I’m doing even when Reese gets big.”
