Friday, May 16, 2008
Please Visit my New Blog
Friday, May 9, 2008
An Unexpected Gift
Whenever Ethan and I meet someone, I usually have to tell him, "Can you say hi, Ethan?" It happens so frequently, the words spill out of my mouth before I realize it. "Say hi, Ethan." He'll usually mumble hi, and look away.
Poor social skills such as these are a hallmark trait of autism. Temple Grandin, a woman with autism who has a doctorate degree and often speaks at autism conferences, says she has a difficult time socializing because she can't interpret people's facial expressions or follow the usual give and take of a conversation. It has taken much practice and self-awareness for her to develop skills that are inherent for most people.
Ethan's social deficiencies are a deep source of worry for me, which is why I constantly tell him to say hello. I had no idea Ehtan actually appreciated my nagging until today at his Mother's Day school recital. One by one the kids held up a laminated picture with a typed sentence on it saying why their moms are special. When it was Ethan's turn, he held the sign up and said, "My mom is special because when I'm shy she she stays behind me and says hi." He drew a picture of me standing behind him, facing another little boy he wants to talk to.
I could barely hold back the tears when he then walked up to me and hugged me. It was one of those moments when I felt profoundly grateful for being a mom.
Haiku Friday
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
What's an Eco-Carnivore to Do?
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Hollywood Is Calling
My son, Ethan, has a future in Hollywood ... as a sound effects person. He loves to add realistic sound effects during his pretend play. When Ethan was 4 years old, he was obsessed with garbage trucks, and would wait by the window for the truck to pick up our trash. After it left, he would get out his blue plastic truck and blocks. He loaded blocks into the bin and dumped them into the truck, making the beeping noise trucks make to warn people that the machinery is in motion.
One time Ethan got too loud with his dumping sequence, and I told him to quiet down. "But Mommy," he said. "I can't. This is loud garbage."
Now Ethan is 6 years old and, as the video attests, his sound effects are much more refined. He loves to act out scenarios in which the big T-Rexes attack the smaller dinosaurs. Often the T-Rexes have babies the "mommy" and "daddy" protect. The squeaking sounds you hear in the video are the babies talking to their parents, and the gutteral noises are the grown-up dinosaurs responding.
Like I said, it's a gift.
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Combo Gift
The picture above shows Molly drinking from my Mother's Day gift. I thought it would be a good photo for "Weekly Winners," in which bloggers send photos they've taken during the week to sarcasticmom.com. For information, click http://sarcasticmom.com/?page_id=137.
My dear, ever-practical husband. He's the only person I know who would combine my Mother's Day gift with a water bowl for our cat Molly.
What did he get me? Why, a Homedics tranquility fountain, of course. Not only would the sound of tinkling water chill me out while I'm on the computer, it would serve as a water fountain for our ever-thirsty cat (see previous post, "What Do a Cat and a Snail Have in Common?").
"I looked for one of those pet water fountains at Wal-Mart, but they didn't have one," he said. "So then I saw one of these for $20, and thought it would do." Thanks for the details, honey.
Seriously, though, I do like the fountain. The sound of the water is pleasant to listen to, plus it keeps Molly from terrorizing me. Before the fountain, every time I walked into our bathroom, she would bolt onto the sink and meow for me to turn on the faucet. "I'm not going to waste a gallon of water so you can get a couple of sips," I tell her. "Meeooww," she replies. Preserving the environment is not one of her priorities.
My husband's gift-giving technique may be blunderous, but I wouldn't want him to change. What he lacks in finesse is more than made up for in the thought and care he puts into each gift.