My children have used up their lifetime allocation of screen time this past year, and I've chosen not to feel guilty about this. As it turns out, it seems to have done Max some good.
Lately, I've been noticing him using more everyday expressions like "no way!" and "I'm bored" and "that's cool" and "you got it" and "you're the best." The other week, I went into my office in New York City just for the day and when Max texted to see where I was, I sent him a video. (He visited once and loved it.)
"You are kidding me," he responded.
I had to smile; I'd never heard him use those words before. At first, I wondered where he'd learned the phrase, as it's not something Dave or I tend to say. Then this weekend, I was in the basement, aka the Max Cave. He can often be found down there and he sleeps there, too, his own private getaway. Victorious was on, his favorite show second only to Jessie.
As I folded laundry, I listened to the dialogue. And it dawned on me: Max has been picking up vernacular from tween shows. And anything that will help him better fit into a world that views people with intellectual disability as so very different is OK by me—it's another form of speech therapy! Max doesn't have friends from whom he can absorb conversational speech (and, er, attitude).
That said, Max has a Max-ism that I adore: "very so good." As in, "Los Angeles is very so good" and "that ice-cream is very so good." And when Max is excited about something, he has a unique way of pumping his fist in the air and shouting "YES YES YES!" While I'm glad for him to use common expressions, I'm all for Max being Max. He does not sound like most other people when talks–he speaks Max. And that is very so good, too.
This is adorable. It's always amusing when you hear a child say something new that they've picked up from popular culture and with such conviction! :-D
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