This repost comes from February 12, 2011.  So, a little over 2 years ago.

It was the day that James decided that he had had enough of us.

Oh.  What a funny boy.

 

“I’ve Had IT!”

he declared one day last week. Standing in my kitchen, barefoot, hands on his hips and Aldi bag slung over one shoulder.

“What, James?” I asked him.

He said, “I’ve had it with all the scolding around here. I’m running away!!”

I then explained to him that the scolding was my job.

I explained that he wasn’t scolded that much, anyway. That most of the scolding centered around how he should close his lips when chewing for the benefit of all humanity.

Then I asked him where he would get his Coke if he left home.

I reminded him that I couldn’t keep him safe if I didn’t know his location.

Three minutes later, his grand thoughts of freedom deflated, he walked off toward the computer.

I laughed. James is so, so funny.

It’s curious. These kids with autism, they have many of the same milestones as neurotypicals. The milestones just come later and look differently than they do with typically developing kids. We parents remember things with a fondness that is a little nonsensical if not understood by the context of our situation. For instance, how we are delighted when our child decides to hide his doughnuts so that no one else can have them or when we are thrilled that our child has been forward thinking enough to get mad at us and decide to run away (not really run away, though).

Later, I found the Aldi bag discarded in my room. I was interested. Now, I wondered, what exactly would James think imperative to bring with him in his great runaway adventure?

So I opened the bag to find….

His iPod, of course.
His wallet — shows good thinking.
His newest Goodwill book, one all about the Muppets Take Manhattan movie.
His kazoo. Never leaves home without it.

My boy makes me laugh.