Next Time!
Said Charlie at a random moment this afternoon. He repeated the phrase, crisp and clear and certain, gave me a good look, and ran to lie (stomach down, arms pressed under) in the crease of the couch.
It was a not-atypical fragment of speech from Charlie, two words without too much verbal context to clue me in to what he is thinking. Was he talking about summer school ending (this Wednesday is the final day) and of the next time there will be school? about seeing his new friend again? about our upcoming vacation at the beach house? (Charlie loves to be there, but vacation has been known to fill him with anxiety, as he anticipates having to leave almost as soon as the vacation starts.)
So I don’t exactly know what Charlie means by “next time.” But this is an “autism mystery” that I am glad to take my time trying to understand. I’ll be watching to see if Charlie can clue me in.
3 opinions for Next Time!
Lolasmom
Aug 8, 2007 at 10:44 am
Ah, yes - waiting for context. I truly love trying to figure out what my kids are trying to tell me - I feel like part-detective, part mind-reader. I remember Lola’s NT brother at age 2-ish, repeating “Fo’ bibbidy, ay be ohhn!” over and over, until he finally did it while jumping off the couch, arm raised in front of him. Click! I got it! It was Buzz Lightyear’s catch-phrase, “To infinity, and beyond!”
All day Monday, Lola was trying to pry my mouth open, while she made a low, buzzy sound. Lola is known to pry my mouth open when she wants me to sing along to the TV or radio (so bossy!), but there was no song involved here, just that croaky, buzzing sound. I finally obliged her by letting her pry my my mouth open wide while I imitiated her croaking, to which she responded, “excuse me!” :) She had been trying to elicit a fake burp from me so she could practice her newly-learned manners! (She’s recently learned “sorry,” “please ,” and “thank you” as well.) And here I thought it was only boys who appreciated the finer art of fake belching…
Lolasmom
Aug 8, 2007 at 10:45 am
Ah, yes - waiting for context. I truly love trying to figure out what my kids are trying to tell me - I feel like part-detective, part mind-reader. I remember Lola’s NT brother at age 2-ish, repeating “Fo’ bibbidy, ay be ohhn!” over and over, until he finally did it while jumping off the couch, arm raised in front of him. Click! I got it! It was Buzz Lightyear’s catch-phrase, “To infinity, and beyond!”
All day Monday, Lola was trying to pry my mouth open, while she made a low, buzzy sound. Lola is known to pry my mouth open when she wants me to sing along to the TV or radio (so bossy!), but there was no song involved here, just that croaky, buzzing sound. I finally obliged her by letting her pry my my mouth open wide while I imitiated her croaking, to which she responded, “excuse me!” :) She had been trying to elicit a fake burp from me so she could practice her newly-learned manners! (She’s recently learned “sorry,” “please,” and “thank you” as well.) And here I thought it was only boys who appreciated the finer art of fake belching…
Lolasmom
Aug 8, 2007 at 10:46 am
Oops - sorry about the double-post.
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