Too much of parenting is about heartache and heartbreak. In my warped experience, at least. And I don’t just mean my failed pregnancies. What troubles me most with my living son? Problems that anyone faces, with autism or without. Universal life stuff. Like dealing with assholes. There are a lot of assholes out there, of all ages. And many of them breed and raise asshole-ish kids (see: Idiocracy). Kids who grow up picking on and bullying children like my own. Such behavior is baffling to my son. Over the last few years his obliviousness has blossomed into awareness and confusion. Along the way I’ve tried to equip him with some basic advice to help handle it. I can’t keep him in a bubble to protect him from every indignity but I can try to give him the tools to cope on his own. Sadly it seemed like I was talking to myself. Until recently. After one particularly egregious incident at school the children were shown some Stop Bullying Now! videos. They made quite an impact. The little man asked to go to the web site and we’ve been watching a couple videos a night, then thoroughly covering the Q & A section after each. It all echoes advice I’d already given him, but it’s as though he needed to see it in cartoon form to legitimize and internalize my messages. A little bit frustrating, but hey, the kid is visual. I get that. And at least it’s sinking in. Not unlike the social stories we’ve used in the past. Now if I could just arm myself with a laminated card or commission a video for any challenging or confusing social situations that may come along…
In happier news, I submitted my annual calendar order to Qoop the other night. I’ve gotten into the habit of making Twelve-Months-Of-Parker calendars for family members (I mean, c’mon, he is an only child). The boy didn’t mind so much when he was younger but the last couple of years he’s become more camera shy. Thankfully I still managed to amass a great selection of photos of him in 2009. But while selecting which to use I did something a little different this time. I gave him editorial control over the content. After all, he’ll be seeing his face looking down from on high just as much as I will (I usually hang this calendar in our kitchen) so it’s only fair. I allowed him to veto several photos but feel we wound up with an excellent representation of his personality. He’s still my little dynamo.
Bonus: Planning to read Beasts of New York, a children’s book for adults. It is “an urban fantasy about the wildlife of New York City, starring a squirrel protagonist who has to find his way from exile back to his home in Central Park, rescue his mother, and win a war.”
Plus: A sexy Large Hadron Collider photoshoot!
And: I’m really enjoying the new Liars song, Scissor, and looking forward to the full release in March. I do hope they stop in the Twin Cities on their tour. Another band that is, for sure? A Place to Bury Strangers will be playing in Minneapolis on March 18th, 2010. Hooray!
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