Constant Amazement

I don't often get the chance to drop the kids off at school. I am usually already at work, or it is my day off and I take it easy, letting the Joyfullness do the work. I confess, those mornings are somewhat peaceful and I know she enjoys taking The Boys to school to see the teachers.

But I don't hate the school, don't get me wrong. I rather enjoy the times I get to drop Myles and Sam off. With Myles, it is usually the car pool lane. We pace through the line, he gets his backpack on, the van door slides open, and my right-hand man jumps out into the real world.

Alright...I'll admit this transition doesn't always go so smoothly. But it is true that he is my right-hand man. In fact, Myles will not hold my other hand. He absolutely insists on holding ONLY my right hand. And that's O.K. with me.


Sam's drop off is a little bit slower paced. I get out, open the van door, kneel down, and he jumps on my back for a piggy-back ride into class. (Hey, I can still get away with this for a little while longer...he's only in preschool!)

Every school day since last September, Sam has been expected to follow the same routine: Open up the classroom door, take his folder out of his bag and place it in a collecting bin, then put his bag in his "cubbie". The he goes and picks his name out of a box and puts it next to his picture (his way of signing in).

And pretty much every time I have dropped Sam off, he has needed guidance on these tasks, remembering what to do next.

So, the most recent time I dropped him off, all the teachers were busy with other children, and I knew the best thing to do would be to help Sam with the morning routine, to start his day.

And so, once again, I guided him to pull out his folder and put it in the box, then put his bag in his cubbie. Then it was off to "sign-in".

"Sam, pull your name out and put it next to your picture". Sam just stood there smiling. "Come on, Sam. You can do it. Is this your name?" I said, as I pulled out some random child's name.

"Alisha" he said.

And he was right.

Hmm...I wonder if he knows any of the other children's names? Or was that just luck? I pulled out another one:

"Conner" he said.

Another one:

"Leslie" he said.

And again...and again...and again, until Sam had looked at every child's name and said it out loud, showing me that he knew all the children in his class, and what their names looked like.

And the last name: "Sam, who's name is this, I said?"

"Sam", he said. And he put his name next to his picture. (RAOC)

Now, the Joyfullness says this has actually been going on for quite sometime, but as I said at the beginning, I don't often get to take The Boys to school.

I read somewhere that most of us go through life half-asleep. But there are a few of us who are always wide awake, fully aware of every detail.

And they are in constant amazement.

.

"Why Not?"

So, last week, Myles was visiting Ya-Ya's house for Mother's Day. At one point he got mad at something, and hit the wall. It knocked a Hummel plate off and it shattered. Myles was so upset, and he said "I'm so sorry!", "This is all my fault!".

Now, you have to know the reality behind the story. Myles was repeating what he heard from a Winnie-the-Pooh Movie. It's a symptom of autism known as "Echolalia", where the child repeats things over and over because they sound soothing to him.

So, in the past, they have just been words. But in this situation, Myles used the sentence in it's appropriate context. And it's not the first time. It's not a coincidence. Day by day, he is communicating with us more.





Today was not my day. I haven't been feeling my best today, and it is those days when you really see how much your children like to be with you. It seems that there was nowhere I was that The Boys didn't want to be.

And as I sat in my misery on the back porch, Myles came up and asked me to jump on the trampoline. And I had to say "No, I cannot." Myles walked away, a little sad. Standard conversation between me and my son. He asks a question, I respond, and that is the end. A lot of times I have not known if Myles really understands me or not.

But today, instead of walking away, Myles turned around. And he said:

"Why Not?".

As in, I said "No", and he said "Why?".

I know what your thinking, do I really wanna go there? I mean, isn't that a parent's worst fear? The day your child first questions your reasoning.

But for us it is a blessing. Again, it means he is communicating. Not echoing, but actually seeking to understand the "why" in what is said and done.

I mean, that is the whole point in everything we are doing with our children. Whether or not they have special needs. And when they question you, and your motives, I would challenge you to stay away from the "Because I said so" phrase.

Why would you care to explain yourself?

Why Not?

Mercury is closest to the Sun, Mercury is planet One...

And so begins the Solar System song. The one we have been singing around here for the last year. Myles first became fascinated with the planets from watching Little Einsteins on Playhouse Disney. There he learned his song and the order of the planets. Of course the song still has Pluto as planet number nine.

I'm not sure if you are aware, but the scientists decided back in 2006 that Pluto wasn't really a planet. They have since classed it as a "Dwarf" planet. (I know...it's still called a planet...confusing).

Anyway, Myles has books and posters and flashcards of all the planets. And with all this attention given to Myles, little did we realize that someone else in the household was learning too!

Sam knows his planets! Actually, Sam doesn't say "Saturn" or "Mercury"...he calls out their number order.

Yeah, I know what your thinking: It's easy to say "One, Two, Three, Four..." But I didn't say he calls them out in order.


The Joyfullness shows him a picture of a planet, and he tells her what number it is !!


Quick...what number is Uranus. How 'bout Saturn? You had to think a minute didn't you? But Sam sees the picture and says the order, no matter which order.

And that's cool !!!