I said, "Huh? You want that song at your bar mitzvah?" We've been making a list of music he'd like the DJ to play.
Max said, "YEAH!" Then he cracked up.
Gotcha, Mom!
Max has learned how to tease me. It wasn't something I ever missed during his development, same way I have never once regretted that Max doesn't say "What-ever!" to me like SOME siblings I know. But now that he's teasing me, I am psyched. Because this is cognitive progress. Also, this is what teens do.
There's some gentle mocking happening, too. The other day, I pulled a box of crackers out of the snack drawer only I'd put them in upside down and a bunch spilled onto the floor. "Ha ha ha ha ha!" said Max, giving me his best you're-such-a-lovable-klutz grin.
Lately, he's also doing this funny thing that I am pretty sure he got from his teacher, Linda, who has a great sense of humor. I'll ask him a question—say, "Max, do you want to run to the supermarket with me?"—and he'll put one finger to his forehead, like he's thinking, then say, "Hmmmm...NO!"
I'm not just excited by all this, I'm delighted. As I've said before, I subscribe to the "What not to expect from your child with special needs" school of parenting. I have plenty of hopes for Max's development, but no expectations. Because he will do what is he capable of doing, on his own timeline.
And so: Yeah, teasing! I'm going to work on getting Max to say, "Kid-ding!" Not the least of which is, he needs to get better at articulating k's and d's.
That's great he's doing something "age appropriate" plus it's just a fun thing. I'm sure you are both getting really excited for his Bat Mitzvah!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like a bit of good-natured ribbing.
ReplyDeleteWatch out anonymous might chime about teasing :) Autism Daddy had a similar post a while back about seeing things that are age appropriate or just unteachable stuff. Henry is in the don't come in my room phase, a very teenage behavior that was nice to see.
ReplyDeleteWe're a very sarcastic family, but my son--who's autistic--had a hard time with that some years back. So we started pointing out to him when we were being sarcastic, and especially pointing out the (often exaggerated) expressions on our face. Eventually, he got the point, and it became a game with him. I'd say something like, "Oh, I can't WAIT to go to the dentist!" and he'd point at me and declare: "SARCASM! I see it in your eyes!" I cannot tell you how much I loved that. So I totally get your enjoyment of Max's teasing! (And, FYI, we had my son's bar mitzvah last year, when he was 14, when he was ready...though we still did it 'his way.' It was the most amazing day; I still shiver with pride when I think about it. Mazel tov to you guys.)
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