Saturday, August 17, 2013

Living With an Aspie

Pretty much since he was able to speak, Reid has possessed the remarkable ability to share too much information at length. Seemingly without repeating himself, like he has this deep, deep well of information concerning subjects he loves that he can access effortlessly. Initially I listened attentively, or as attentively as I could manage until my eyes glazed over, my head listed over to one side and the drooling commenced. Unfazed, he would continue to spout trivia. To my amazement, I discovered he would happily stop spouting when I found some excuse to move on to something else that was demanding my attention. Okay, so not really demanding, which made me feel like a terrible mother. In a flash of inspiration I realized he was cool with me not being able to listen more at that moment, he just lacked a shut-off switch for his behavior at the moment. So I devised a method that made both of us happy. I would say, Sweetie, Mommy's brain is full. Can you tell me more later? It turns out one's brain can become overly full from its everyday experiences. And part of the function of sleep is to clear away those bits that serve no real purpose. My brain really was full! I love it when I'm ahead of the curve. And I love validation. But I know, your brain is full. Move along. I won't take it personally.

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