I Surrender......

I only wish the white flag I was waving was on this beach. Then surrendering wouldn’t feel so bad.

Photo credit: MorgueFile

Every so often this autism thing will still come and bite me in the butt. When I least expect it.

I mean I can listen over and over and over ad nauseam and laugh at the appropriate time as Riley scripts the one particular scene from Mrs. Doubtfire where I dared to laugh the first time.

I can even listen to him reciting all 24 DVD’s on his birthday list for 6 months leading up to his birthday.

Hell…I can listen to him grumbling for 21 days that it is “STILL MAY”!  (Remember…as soon as Mother’s Day was over R was ready for June because June means Father’s Day and his birthday.) 

What made me crack this time…socks and pajamas. 

Silly right??

It isn’t often that Riley will initiate a conversation so when he does…I am all ears. 

R:  I want some NEW socks please.

Me:  ?!?!?!?  What kind of socks??

R:  Red and black socks.

Me:  ?!?!?!?  What happened to your socks?

R:  I don’t like them.

Me:  ?!?!?!?

I found this in his bedroom garbage.

He’s been wearing these socks for months. 6 pairs with black stripes; 6 pairs with the light grey stripes. ALL the pairs with black stripes were in the garbage.

When I went to count how many pairs were in there I found this…

Call me perceptive but I think I figured out why he wanted new socks.  ;)

A little while later R initiated another conversation. Two conversations within a 15 minute window???  What the heck?!?!?

R:  I want my hockey pajamas.

FYI:  Riley hasn’t worn pajamas since ELEMENTARY school. He wears shorts and a t-shirt to bed.

Me:  ?!?!?!?  What kind of pajamas??  *Hmmmm…there seems to be a pattern in my questioning*

R:  Blue ones.

Me:  ?!?!?!?  Blue ones??

R:  YES!!  *excited that I surely must’ve understood because I responded with “blue ones”. *

Aaaaaaand I was done. Try as I might there are times that I have absolutely no idea where things come from in Riley World. I want to understand. I really, really do. You may even have some ideas of your own. But...honestly...after 15+ years of Riley World there are times that I just don’t know and frankly…I just don’t care to try and figure it out anymore. Well…at least not about stuff like this.

Why???

Well…in the big scheme of things in Riley World if it’s not a safety issue or health issue…life will keep rolling along regardless of the socks he wears or movies he likes or reasons for either. Having said that…these “things” can still be a trigger FOR. ME.

It’s been a discouraging week in Riley World Phase 2: Adulthood. I had intended to share our plans for the future as they happened. I have been too overwhelmed to do this. I will try harder to let my frustrations out and share some successes along the way so these triggers in Riley World won't wear me down. 

To quote one of R's favourite movie lines...."better out than in I always say."  That or see you on the beach!  :D