“What?!?! Are you….ASLEEP?!?!”
Declan was strapped in his bus chair waiting for me to come get him. He had his head turned to the side and scrunched his eyes shut real tight.
It’s a game we play every day. I go to get him off his school bus and he pretends to be asleep. It’s a joke that his dad taught him. Proof that the game of “peek-a-boo” never gets old, it just varies.
He pops up and yells “I’m awake!”
I jump back and act surprised. “Oh good!” I say as I begin to unstrap him.
Off the bus we go, saying goodbye to the other children and the bus driver. We hold hands as we walk up the driveway and he asks me,
“So…how was your day?”
I have to admit, I was a bit surprised he asked me a question about me, the question fit the moment and it was pretty fluent. I jumped right in.
“It was fine, thanks. How was your day?”
“A-MA-ZING.”
My head cocked to the side, my eyes got big “Wow! That’s fantastic! What happened?” I queried leading him inside.
His eyes shut for a couple of seconds and then they opened with real big, matter-of-fact intentions.
“Well, we played outside. And I hit my head. Right here.”
I inspected a little further, but didn’t see anything.
“Oh my,” I said, “Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
“What else happened?”
Declan looked to the ceiling and began to sway back and forth. “There was a very busy spider spinning her web” he said, cupping his hands and turning them back and forth.
“Yikes! A spider? Was it big?”
“Yes.” He stopped moving and looked at the table. “And there were worms. They were gross.”
“Geez..anything else happen?”
“Yes.” The matter of fact eyes looking directly at me, “We DID NOT play inside.”
We continued our regular routine. Potty time, snack time, turn on the television and then I pulled out the communication book from his teacher, which said:
“Miss April came to read to us today. She read, “The Very Busy Spider.” We also played with worms. Declan did not want anything to do with them. Also, he ran into the swing set pole outside. He may have a little bump on his forehead.”
I smiled. I understood how his day really went. But gosh, Declan’s version of the story was so much more entertaining.
Exactly. My daughter never knows exactly what happens at school even though Isobelle is 12. Sometimes the T.A. will write something in her book if it was important.
Some days the book comes empty because nothing really big happened – but Declan still tells me some stories! The book really helps clarify those details 😉
It sure does.
It certainly does
You have the makings of a young story teller! Congradulate him on his successful tale spinning efforts. Think of all the other kids he has the possibility of entertaining in the future, if he continues to progress down this path. Will it be space adventures or firehouse rescues next?
At least he did not eat the worms, like my little brother did!
Haha! Yes, I agree. Yes, now that you mention it, I am also glad he didn’t eat the worms! 🙂
Thank you for having the courage to talk about your family and autism. It makes me feel I am not so alone with my son.
Thank you! I also enjoy reading other’s experiences with autism as it helps me to feel like I am not so alone. Things are different for us, and it helps so much to find someone else experiencing that different – that can relate or understand a feeling, event or situation. I am glad we can connect!