Priceless

After lunch at Z Pizza yesterday, we passed right by a shoe store. Since apparently someone has been plying Peaches with Miracle Grow, I thought we should duck in and grab her a new pair of kicks that fit. About a month ago, Roo got new shoes, so I had no plans to get him any yesterday. Of course, then he spied the light up shoes with skulls on them, and his sister says, "You HAVE to get those, Rooster, they are so much cooler than your OLD shoes." Thanks, Peach. Suffice it to say, my boy lost his marbles that I would not give in and buy him an extra pair of $50 shoes that he does not need and I find aesthetically abysmal. He cried all the way home and told me about 600 times that he HATES the OLD (more expensive, bought just one month ago, light up, cute) shoes because they stink and he would throw them in the garbage.

I did not back down one centimeter and gave him the same reminders all 600 times. (Not looking for opinions on that one, just saying.) When he threw his shoes in the trash, I made him take them out, apologize, and listen to my speech about appreciation, money, etc...

Cut to this evening. Although I am Jewish and my kids and I light candles, we also have a Hanukah bush and will open presents tomorrow morning in our play room. (Guilt, guilt, guilt.) So I suggested maybe we already have too much stuff and maybe we should do a quick sort and organize. Peach says, "What do we do to organize?" So I suggest we look through our stuff and decide what to keep, what to throw out, and what to give to other people who might need or want the stuff we aren't using.

Rooster appeared engaged in playing with toys. Without missing a beat, though, he looks me right in the eye and says very calmly, "I have some stinky shoes I want to give somebody who wants them. They can HAVE them."

I don't know if that READS funny at all, if you can picture the scene or you had to be there, but I can tell you it took me 10 minutes to breathe again because I laughed so hard it was silent, and the kids looked worried I might keel over.

So, autism. Maybe it causes some perseveration and tantrums here at casa del Rooster. Maybe it gives me worries that keep me up at night. But I think we spit in its eye tonight. Go, Rooster. Go wit, go conversation, go eye contact, go FUNNY, go joint attention, go Rooster, go. Happy New Year!