And The Beat Goes On...

One of the many challenges in raising kids with disabilities continues to be the need for repetition. We tell them "brush your teeth", "wash your face", "remember your jacket", "don't forget your manners"....ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

But sometimes, the repetition starts to get to us. To me. I find myself occasionally wishing that I didn't have to say things like, "Keep your tux jacket with your tux." Case in point... prom.

We rented a tux for son 2, and he looked amazing. He was dashing and debonair, romantic and responsive to his girlfriend, but when he changed clothes between the dance and the after-party... he lost his jacket. By the grace of God and the superintendent, the jacket was recovered in time for the return. But still. Why would you put the rest of the tux on a hanger, and not the jacket? He has no answer. I'm still wondering. Is this Asperger's, or is this teenagerhood? Probably, as with most things, a mixture of the two. The Aspie in him said he liked having the jacket for security and weight. The teenager took it off and put it on the bleachers when he was too hot from dancing.

Some things can't be circumvented, but more things can. I try to address every possible forseeable complication of any given situation, but this one, I didn't see coming. He's learned to wear a jacket, so I know he won't freeze to death. He knows when he's overheating, so that sensory worry is solved. But the BLEACHERS? Ok, he now understands that having all his stuff in one place is the best idea, and swears that he will do that in the future.

So we take it in stride, return the tux, and plan for the future. Sometimes, meeting the challenge means finding that the beat goes on. Another day, another challenge.