If you are the mama to a kid who is not the typical kid you’ve probably heard, “oh, my kid does that ALL the time.” My kid perseverates. This means thoughts, objects and things that seem pointless become obsessive. Right now it’s ice. Maybe it’s because he has spent his life in Texas and hasn’t seen much of it in his ten years and nine months on this earth, but if he opens the freezer one more time, heaven help me.
The thing is, he comes by this honestly. I’m completely neurotypical. I’m as quirky as the next gal, but I’m the one the arrow points to on the “I’m With Neurotypical” t-shirt. Here are four things even a “typical mom” does.
1. Perseverates. Like a boss. About lots of things see my blog about my Pottery Barn sofa here. Or, right now I’m perseverating on why I can’t seem to write what I want to say clearly, with ease, like ever.
2. Worries. Again, I excel here. Currently, I am worried about six things, none of which I have control of. I come from a long line of worriers; this gene has been passed down from my grandmother to my father, from my father to me and finally from me to Joe. Unfortunately for him, he’s hit by this on both sides of his family tree.
3. Picky Eating. Say the word sauerkraut and I gag. Instantly. Not kidding. The same could be said for potato salad, coleslaw and a lot of other foods of questionable ingredients and texture.
4. Avoiding Social Interaction. In all honesty, Joe is a much more social creature than I am. He craves social interaction. It’s just doesn’t look typical. In my younger days, I was much more social. It didn’t exhaust me to be around people; I loved working retail and partaking in chit-chat with my customers. Somewhere in there I became a closet introvert. I still like seeing people and having friends in theory. But it’s exhausting and takes work and stuff.
Autism In Our House 