I asked The Boy if he would like to do the advent calendar again this year, and he said that he would. But, this time, I have decided to include activities and treats every day. I have found that scheduling … Continue reading
It’s hard, isn’t it? Routines are blown to hell. Everything is different, even from day to day. There are strange foods, different expectations, and it’s just difficult. We do not often stay at hotels on our vacations, because we are … Continue reading
We had a great trip. Here are some highlights:
Kids with autism are often lost when one uses colloquialisms and turns of phrase because they don’t jive with the literal translation in their minds. Tonight, I made a comment to The Boy as he was giggling about something he was watching on youtube that he was “laughing like a hyena”. He had no idea what I meant, in large part because he didn’t know what a hyena was.
I was momentarily stunned as I thought, “He doesn’t know what a hyena is? He’s almost eleven! Shouldn’t he have learned this by now?” I thought back to when I was eleven, and tried to remember if I knew then what a hyena was, and guessed that I probably did. So why did I know that then? Maybe Mutual of Omaha? Maybe we need to be watching more nature shows on PBS? Don’t answer that — I know we need to be watching more anything on PBS. I’m just not all that keen on TV, but that’s another story…
What does a modern mom do? I pulled up youtube and called him over to watch a youtube video of a hyena laughing, in response to which he promptly… you guessed it, started laughing.
Does anyone else find this parenting thing not at all as sequential as you thought it would be, and way more random?
We are flying today. It will be the first time in a long while for The Boy – a couple of years, at least. He actually really enjoys flying, and has been begging me to fly on our frequent trips … Continue reading
The Boy, like most on the spectrum I suspect, has a difficult time with gratitude. I often remind him to say thanks in public (although this has definitely improved over time), and I will even say, “Thanks, Mom!”to prompt his … Continue reading
The Boy had his biggest meltdown of the school year on Wednesday. He has taken to leaving the classroom without permission, and had been warned repeatedly that he must ask before he leaves the room. He snuck out again, and … Continue reading
Since the fire drill about a month ago, The Boy has been watching YouTube videos of fire drills going off, creating PowerPoints where his favorite video game characters are experiencing fire drills, and we have had more than one Fun Friday dedicated to fire alarm inspections of the local elementary schools, with varying success.
On Thursday last week, I picked The Boy up from Kids Club and he had made a couple of fire alarms from construction paper:
It may be difficult to see, but each has a picture of a house on fire (printed from the computer, with the matching color background), and a man running from the house. The dots are the speakers, and the lines indicate that sound is coming from those speakers.
Needless to say, these alarms were promptly “installed” at our house, in the hallway, and in the kitchen:
Don’t ask me how he got up above the sink…
I asked if he’d like to visit a firehouse, and was met with silence (which is Boy-speak for “no”). This too shall pass. At least he doesn’t seem anxiety-ridden about it – it actually seems like he’s having fun. This too shall pass… Right?
I recently wrote a post about my aunt who has been a special needs mom for almost 50 years. My great-aunt, who is around the same age, and from the same side of the family, is another example from the long line of strong women whom I am proud to call my family. If you google her name, the first site to come up is a recent article about seniors and social media. At 87, she is connected, and using the internet to stay in touch with family. She is also a (retired) child psychologist, and still does evaluations for the local school district. In her spare time, she is on several committees in her retirement community, runs the library there, does water aerobics, cardiac fitness, zumba, and walks three miles three times a week.
Are you freaking kidding me? I can only in my wildest dreams hope to be like her when I am 87!
She and I connected because we both had an interest in genealogy, and since she is technically one of my forebears, we had even more to share. She actually wrote a family history of her parents and siblings, which I found invaluable, as my grandparents (her sister and brother-in-law) both passed away before I was really at an age to revel in their stories. It also gave some back-story to the tales I heard my father tell as I was growing up about when he was a kid, and they would drive two states away to visit “the farm” and the huge family that would descend on this mythical place. Did I mention her family story is being published?
When my uncle told me how proud he was of me, for living my life the way I have and raising my son the way I have, I didn’t know what to say. I look at these ladies, my mom, my aunt, my great-aunt, and realize that, thanks to them, I don’t know any other way to be.
The Boy and I went to our chapter of the ARC’s bowling party today, and we had an absolute blast! We had 17 bowlers and plenty of parents and caregivers in the cheering section. And it was really hard not … Continue reading
Simple. I Just Do. 