One of the guys I support would always always always, ask for McDonalds after we’d gone and walked around his favourite park. And then, one day he surprised me by saying he wanted to get burritos.
All of which is to say, your piece resonated with me, Robin. :)
My son wore the same gray T shirt and pants every day for two years after his father died, his way of holding onto what he knew. Eventually, I was able to persuade him to order several more gray T-shirts and pants. A minor victory! About a year ago, he said he wanted to be a "little dressier" for going to church, so we added dark pants and collared shirts to his wardrobe. The gray T shirt and pants still rule most days, but even minor victories are major when you are parenting an adult on the spectrum.
Yes, I agree about those major "minor" victories. I keep reminding myself how very brave my son is when he makes even small choices to break out of his safe routines.
Feeling this, as a parent of a girl who has eaten the same 8 utems of food every day for the last 10 years. Once in a while she has tried something new with a tiny lick or bite, but nothing has been added to her very fixed repetitive diet. But I know that nothing is forever, things do change, even when it feels like we've been stuck in a rut for years. Patience is something I've had to nurture!
Oh, patience is really a daily practice...I'm slowly getting a little better at it ;) My son's diet has gone through several phases, still very restricted but I feel lucky that he does (sometimes) try something new.
One of the guys I support would always always always, ask for McDonalds after we’d gone and walked around his favourite park. And then, one day he surprised me by saying he wanted to get burritos.
All of which is to say, your piece resonated with me, Robin. :)
I love those surprises! Thanks, Michael :)
My son wore the same gray T shirt and pants every day for two years after his father died, his way of holding onto what he knew. Eventually, I was able to persuade him to order several more gray T-shirts and pants. A minor victory! About a year ago, he said he wanted to be a "little dressier" for going to church, so we added dark pants and collared shirts to his wardrobe. The gray T shirt and pants still rule most days, but even minor victories are major when you are parenting an adult on the spectrum.
Yes, I agree about those major "minor" victories. I keep reminding myself how very brave my son is when he makes even small choices to break out of his safe routines.
Feeling this, as a parent of a girl who has eaten the same 8 utems of food every day for the last 10 years. Once in a while she has tried something new with a tiny lick or bite, but nothing has been added to her very fixed repetitive diet. But I know that nothing is forever, things do change, even when it feels like we've been stuck in a rut for years. Patience is something I've had to nurture!
Oh, patience is really a daily practice...I'm slowly getting a little better at it ;) My son's diet has gone through several phases, still very restricted but I feel lucky that he does (sometimes) try something new.
ALWAYS love your stories.
Thank you, Emily, that means a lot. 💙
Thank you for sharing!