Literal thinking

Today’s post is a re-written, new and improved version of one of my very early posts when I first started blogging…

I felt like giggling today, it always cheers me up….so enjoy a look at the lighter side of life.

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I think my kids are funny!

But then – I also thought dumb and dumber was a great movie, and I think the sanitary pad ad on tv with the man sticking them all over himself and pretending to be a superhero is funny too so I may not be the best judge of humour!

Anyhoo……because my children are on the autistic spectrum they have a tendency to take everything literally.

And please understand that I’m not laughing at them but merely celebrating their wonderful take on life

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One morning we were running a little late for school and I told Ella to clean her teeth in the shower to save time - I walked into the bathroom 10 minutes later only to find her showered, fully dressed and standing in the shower cubicle cleaning her teeth. She said to me:

“Mum, I don’t see how this is supposed to save time?”

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Another time I asked her to help me clear the breakfast bowls off the table and because the dishwasher still needed unpacking from the night before, I asked her to just “toss” the dirty bowls in the sink and I would deal with them later.

So she did.

From almost a metre away.

And they ALL broke.

- She couldn’t understand what the problem was, I had said to toss them!

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Harley is hilarious too.

He once bit his tongue while eating and started to cry so I gently asked him:

” How did  you do that mate?”

And he looked at me like I was stupid and replied:

“With my teeth?”

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He makes me laugh when I tell him to brush his teeth and he does - but without toothpaste.

You see I didn’t say “put toothpaste on the brush and brush your teeth” I just said “brush your teeth” .

So in all fairness, he was actually doing what I’d asked…..

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Or I will ask Lucas to go to the toilet.

And he will do just that.

He will go and stand in the bathroom.

I didn’t specifically ask him to do a wee in the toilet. I just asked him to go to the toilet.

So once again – he thought he was being obedient!

Parenting ASD kids is all about having to learn a completely different way of thinking and looking outside the box because these kids don’t see things how we see things. Their brains are wired differently and our world is very confusing for them!

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Last week, I was sweeping the kitchen floor and Harley went and grabbed the dustpan and brush and started to sweep up the pile of dirt that I had gathered.

He then looked at the dustpan full of dirt and asked me where should he put it?

So I told him to put it in the bin.

And he did!

Ummm, I meant just the DIRT son!

I often see little examples of literal thinking in my husband as well.

Several times I have come home from shopping, and have put a load of washing in the machine before I left and I have told him that I have, and I come home only to find that the wet clothes are still sitting in the machine.

His response is:
” Yes you did tell me that you put a load of washing on, but you didn’t say that you wanted me to hang them out”…..

However – part of me thinks that he knows exactly what I meant and that he’s just trying to get out of housework………

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Have a great weekend all…