Bits of Miscellany

I think I've hit upon something big: the key to resolving problems is to blog about them!

Case-in-point #1:  I suggested that it might—gasp—make sense to wear sneakers (aka Tie Shoe Implements of Torture) to school rather than his usual rain boots....and Blink reluctantly agreed!  Interestingly, he had those shoes on before I even had a chance to nag, err, remind him.  (Did he leave them tied and slip them on?  It seems so....but what happened to the just-right-tightness problem?)

Relatedly, Case-in-point #2:  We had the most delightful morning laughing and enjoying each other. Blink was the first person ready to go out the door. I think this has happened ONCE before and it was also in the past two weeks. Such a dramatic change...and nothing to explain it, really.  Yes, I did make a morning routine picture schedule but we haven't been using it that much. We haven't needed to.

It's a strange business, this.  I can't help but feel sometimes like there's this secret code that will Explain Everything, if only I could find it.... Which brings me to the low point of the weekend:  watching Blink slam his fists against his head to convey his anger and disappointment that not one, but two planned destinations were unexpectedly closed yesterday afternoon. (Fort Snelling Park, closed due to flooding.  Our plan B, Chutes and Ladders?  Also closed.  Arrrgh!)  Self-injury has never been much of a concern before, so this is a fresh and new agony. Blink told me he hits himself when he wants to hit someone else. Yep, add that to the anguish list.

While I'm on the subject of tangled-up-heartstrings, I've been reading Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin—a young adult novel told from the perspective of a 12-year-old boy with autism. The descriptions of the boy's relationship with his mother make my heart ache. When I read the main character's inner thoughts, I wonder if this is what life is like inside for Blink. I read him the first chapter and tried to talk about it, but he wasn't that into it. No matter. I'm forcing myself to hold back and let him come to it on his own. He's young, yet, for the story line.