>>> THIS MORNING, WE CONTINUE
OUR SERIES "SECRETS REVEALED."
D
DAWN DAVIES IS ONE OF THOSE
WITTY INSIGHTFUL MOMS.
HER DESCRIPTION OF MOTHERHOOD
BRINGS TEARS, LAUGHS AND QUIET
MOMENTS OF REFLECTION.
I KNOW, I FELT THEM PERSONALLY.
BUT IT IS REVELATIONS ABOUT HER
SON THAT WILL LEAVE YOU FROZEN
IN YOUR SEAT AND ASKING HOW?
AND ALSO, NOW WHAT?
THE BOOK IS CALLED "MOTHER OF
SPARTA: A MEMOIR IN PIECES."
>> MY PREGNANCY WAS A NORMAL
PREGNANCY.
HE WAS WITH US ABOUT TWO HOURS.
HE TURNED BLUE.
PURPLE, STOPPED BREATHING, BLUE.
THEY TOOK HIM TO THE NICU, VERY
SICK.
HE HAD A FEVER.
LATE TALKING, LATE WALKING.
NOT NORMAL NEUROTYPICAL PLAY.
HE WAS LAGGING.
SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT.
WE WENT THROUGH A NUMBER OF
SCHOOLS.
AND HE STARTED GETTING PICKED ON
THERE TERRIBLY BADLY.
THEY KNOCKED HIM DOWN.
THEY THREW SPIT BALLS IN HIS
HAIR, THEY CALLED HIM NAMES THAT
I WON'T REPEAT.
AND ONE NIGHT HE WAS GOING TO
SLEEP AND HE SAID, MOMMY, I WANT
TO DIE.
PUBERTY STARTED HAPPENING.
I THINK SOMETHING HAPPENS WHEN
HORMONES START GOING THROUGH THE
BODY, IT CHANGES THE BRAIN
CHEMISTRY.
HE HAD UNDESIRABLE SOCIAL
BEHAVIORS.
HE SAW A NEIGHBOR PUNCH IN A
CODE ON THE GARAGE, AND WHEN THE
NEIGHBOR WASN'T HOME, HE WOULD
LET HIMSELF INTO THE HOUSE.
HE WENT TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE AND
HE KILLED A HAMSTER.
HE CONFESSED TO A NUMBER OF
ANIMALS.
WE HAD NO IDEA.
THEN, HE SAID, BECAUSE HE GOT
CAUGHT, I THINK, I JUST WANT TO
KILL MYSELF.
I DON'T KNOW IF MY SON KNOWS
RIGHT FROM WRONG.
BUT MY BIGGEST FEAR IS THAT HE
IS GOING TO DO SOMETHING THAT
GETS HIM ARRESTED.
>> DAWN DAVIES IS HERE WITH US.
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> I WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME ON
THE ESSAYS IN THE BOOK, THAT
LITERALLY HAD ME IN TEARS FOR
ITS POIGNANCY.
I READ "NIGHT SWIM" TO MYSELF
AND I CRIED.
AND I READ IT ALOUD TO MY
HUSBAND.
I READ IT TO MY HUSBAND.
LET ME GIVE YOU ONE EXCERPT
BECAUSE EVERY PARENT WILL
UNDERSTAND THIS.
SHE'S TALKING ABOUT TAKING
PHOTOS OF HER TWO DAUGHTERS AS
THEY'RE SWIMMING.
AS YOU CLICK TWO SIMPLE PHOTOS,
YOU REALIZE YOU HAVE TAKEN
EVERYTHING FOR GRANTED.
YOUR TIME WITH THEM.
THEIR BRIEF SPECK OF TIME AS
CHILDREN.
THE SOFT FACES THAT TURN TO YOU
AS YOU ARE THE SUN.
GOING TO TRY TO GET THROUGH IT.
THEY WILL NEVER STAY YOURS.
ONE DAY THEY WILL LEAVE YOU,
SHOOT OFF INTO THE SKY AND TAKE
THEIR PLACE IN A BIGGER
CONSTELLATION.
AND IT'S YOUR JOB TO LET IT GO,
LET IT GO, LET IT GO.
IT'S GONE.
WE ALL FEEL THAT WITH RESPECT TO
OUR KIDS.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MEDITATION ON
PARENTHOOD AND LIFE.
WHAT WAS THE GOAL IN WRITING IT?
>> SO, MY GOAL IN WRITING ANY
ESSAY IS TO SORT OF MAKE A
RECKONING WITH SOMETHING THAT I
DON'T UNDERSTAND OR SOMETHING
THAT I'M TRYING TO GET A GRIP
ON.
SO, I DO THAT BY WRITING.
AND I THINK INITIALLY IT WAS
JUST TO WRITE IT DOWN, SO I
COULD OBSERVE IT, SO I COULD BE
A WITNESS TO HOW I FELT.
AND SOMETIMES I'LL WRITE
SOMETHING AND IT WILL JUST BE
FOR ME.
AND SOMETIMES I WRITE SOMETHING
THAT MIGHT RESONATE WITH
SOMEBODY ELSE.
>> IT'S COMPLETELY RAW.
SHE REVEALS EVERYTHING.
DAWN HAS NO HUMILITY.
THERE'S A LOT OF LAUGHS,
INCLUDING AT YOUR EXPENSE
THROUGHOUT THE BOOK.
THAT'S WHY WHEN YOU GET TO THE
END OF THE BOOK AND YOU WRITE
ABOUT YOUR SON, IT'S A HUGE
SURPRISE BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T SEEN
THAT BUILDUP THROUGHOUT THE
BOOK.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR
SON'S ISSUES.
>> SO, MY SON WAS BORN WITH A
DIFFERENT BRAIN.
HIS BRAIN IS DIFFERENT.
HE -- IT CAUSES HIM TO HAVE
DIFFERENT BEHAVIORS.
IT CAUSES HIM TO STRUGGLE, AS HE
WORKS HIS WAY THROUGH THE WORLD.
YOU KNOW, HIS BEHAVIORS AREN'T
AS A RESULT OF THE DECISIONS
THAT HE'S MAKING WILLFULLY TO,
YOU KNOW, TO -- I DON'T KNOW
WHAT THE RIGHT WORD IS.
TO CAUSE TROUBLE OR TO MAKE LIFE
HARD.
IT'S LIKE BEING COLOR BLIND.
YOU CAN'T HELP IT IF YOU CAN'T
SEE GREEN AND RED.
YOU CAN'T.
>> DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST
MOMENT IT DAWNED ON YOU THERE
WAS AN ISSUE THERE THAT WAS
UNUSUAL?
OUT OF THE REALM OF NORMALCY, IF
YOU WILL?
>> HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM
WHEN HE WAS 5.
ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THAT
NORMALCY?
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE HAS THAT.
YOU SAY HE HAS FRONTAL LOBE
DAMAGE, AS WELL.
>> HE STARTED HAVING SEIZURES
AROUND THE AGE OF 9.
THEY'RE MEASURABLE.
THEY'RE MEASURABLE ON EEGs.
HE HAS DIFFERENCES IN HIS BRAIN
THAT ARE MEASURABLE ON C.T.
SCANS OR MRIs.
RIGHT AROUND THE AGE OF 11 OR
12, WHEN HORMONES KICKED IN, WE
NOTICED HIM REALLY STRUGGLING
WITH MAKING SENSE SOCIALLY AND
MAKING GOOD SOCIAL DECISIONS.
>> HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT
KILLING THE HAMSTERS AND OTHER
ANIMALS?
>> WELL, HE WENT TO VISIT A
FRIEND AND THE FRIEND'S MOTHER
FOUND THE HAMSTER AND TOLD US.
WHEN WE CONFRONTED HIM, HE SAID,
YEAH, I DID IT.
WHY DID YOU DO IT?
I REALLY DON'T KNOW.
I DON'T KNOW WHY.
THAT LED TO AN INVESTIGATION,
THERAPY, DOCTORS, TO TRY TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND WE FIGURED OUT, HE'S
ACTUALLY MISSING -- HE'S A
BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL KID.
HE'S MISSING EMPATHY.
THAT THING THAT HELPS US TO
LEARN HOW TO BEHAVE, IT'S HARDER
FOR HIM TO LEARN HOW TO BEHAVE
BECAUSE HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND,
HE DOESN'T FEEL WHAT IT FEELS
LIKE TO BE ON SOMEONE ELSE'S
SIDE OF THINGS.
HE'S DOING BETTER WITH THAT NOW,
BUT IN 11, 12, 13, IT WAS A
STRUGGLE.
>> THEN, THERE IS A STRAIN OF
SEXUAL DOOEF IEVIANCY.
WE FOUND SOME STUFF ON A
COMPUTER.
WE FOUND STUFF ON A GAME SYSTEM.
AND THEN, WE FOUND STUFF ON THE
CELL PHONE.
AND WE LOCKED DOWN OUR INTERNET.
WHEN YOUR KID SHOULDN'T BE
EXPOSED TO THAT ANYWAY, WE WERE
TRYING HARD TO CONTROL THE
STUFF.
THERE'S ALL KINDS OF STUFF ON
THE INTERNET.
ANY KID CAN GET ACCESS TO ANY OF
IT.
WE WORKED ON CONTROLLING IT, AS
SOON AS WE FOUND IT.
>> BUT NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO DO.
>> IMPOSSIBLE.
>> FOR ANY OF US IN TODAY'S AGE.
BUT THIS IS ILLICIT.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
YOU CAN GO ANYWHERE YOU WANT TO
GET INTERNET.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CAR, YOU CAN
TAKE A BUS.
YOU CAN TAKE A BUS TO A BEST BUY
AND YOU CAN ACCESS ANYTHING YOU
WANT.
YOU CAN GO TO A LIBRARY.
YOU CAN GO TO SCHOOL.
YOU CAN DO IT AT SCHOOL.
>> DAWN HAS TWO OLDER GIRLS AND
TWO OTHER CHILDREN WHO ARE STEP
CHILDREN WHO WERE LIVING IN THE
HOUSE, TOO.
THEIR LIVES HAVE CHANGED BECAUSE
OF A RESULT OF HER YOUNGER SON.
WHEN WE COME BACK, AN UPDATE ON
DAWN'S SON AND WE'LL LEARN THE
MEANING OF THE BOOK, "MOTHERS OF