We’ve come to realize that our home does not run like most households. Things that are “normal” for us are not “normal” for others. Ry’s schedule is a prime example. Not many people need to take their 19-year-old to the bathroom for “potty time.” We’ve also come to realize that there are phrases one will here quite frequently in our home that aren’t heard in others. Here are some of them.
- Why are you so “normal?” Aidan is by far the most “normal” of all of us. I always use the term normal in quotations because honestly “normal” is relative. I mean what is “normal” really? That could be a whole other post in and of itself. Back to Aidan though – we often tease him about his “normal” responses to situations. Where the rest of the family will react with emotion or some crazy movie quote or other random comment, Aidan is always the one who will react with the socially acceptable sigh or “why are you doing that?” For example: At the dinner table, the rest of us will be in a conversation about killer clowns roaming the woods of North Carolina and Aidan will state out of nowhere, “I had a really good day at school today.” Whaaaat? Where did that come from and whose family do you belong to?
- No, I didn’t literally mean… Because of Aidan’s Asperger Syndrome, he can have a hard time with euphemisms. There have been many times that he has gotten upset or confused when one of us springs this type of language on him. One time I told him that I was done dealing with a certain problem and said, “Stick a fork in me.” He was very confused as to how sticking a fork in me would solve the problem not to mention why I would want to inflict such pain on myself. It took several minutes to explain that it was just an expression. Euphemisms are the one time he will not react “normally.”
- There’s nothing on your face. There are arbitrary times that Paix will come up to me and ask if there is a bug or hair or whatever on her face or arms. Due to the psychosis part of her Bi-polar Disorder, she will feel things on her and not know if they are real or not. This can be scary for her and unnerving for the rest of us.
- I didn’t need to know that. One of the problems most people with Bi-polar have is that they have no filter. Especially when in periods of manic. Paix is no exception to this. There are countless times that she will share information that no-one wants or needs to know. With her it usually revolves around something disgusting or completely inappropriate – such as personal hygiene or thoughts on the sexual orientation of different random people we pass. I’d give examples but trust me – you don’t want to know. No, I don’t need to know that and neither does anyone else. You’re welcome.
- You’re 19! Where are your pants?! This has been an ongoing problem with Ryland. As I have posted before, the boy hates clothing. (See Keep Your Britches on!) It was cute when he was four or five, but not now. By the way – the boys have had a birthday since the Britches post. So, yes, we are at 19 years of no pants for the Ry-man. Gotta love him!
- Release the poop nugget from your buttocks!! This has to be my favorite and I’d be willing to bet none of you have had this phrase uttered in your home! Ry poops like a rabbit – always nuggets. Sometimes they get lodged between his butt cheeks and he will refuse to let go. It’s like he’s hoping to make a diamond out of a piece of coal. Once puberty hit and hair became a part of the equation, the fight became more intricate. No one prepares you for this sort of thing in any of the parenting special needs children handbooks!
So, there’s the top six phrases that you’ll hear at our house if you hang around long enough. Hope you enjoyed this peek into our day to day lives. Let me know if any of these are things you say in your home too. I’d love to know that we are more “normal” than we think we are.