Another end of the year...

I had promised myself I would write something before the year ended. Its now down to the last two days, and if I have to keep my promise to myself, I have to put something down today. There is no dearth of material. A time to introspect will be right at the present time. How did the year measure up?

I guess it was a mediocre year by some standards and really exceptional if you look at it through another angle. I had the opportunity to plan and execute a plan for the kiddo, which did not always go as I had hoped it would, but the experience taught me a lot, and continues to do so. I am amazed at how well some people can work with special needs kids and how some just cannot!

Regarding the teenager I am dealing with lately, he tries every ploy in the book to get away with doing meaningful stuff and expects that I go with the plan. Too bad I am the mom and have to put my foot down.
Just yesterday, to have a conversation, I asked him what he likes to do in his leisure time, he started listing all his favorite things, listening to the ipod, playing with the boom box, recording voices ( he is so obsessed with that), so I interrupted and asked if he should be reading books sometimes! Pat comes his reply... "Good idea"! I laughed so hard, and he did too. That confirms my theory that autistic kids do have a sense of humor!
Then came the speech therapist to work with him, and he said to her, "I feel ill and need to rest", so she glanced over at me. I coolly said I was taking away the boom box, the ipods and the rest of the paraphernalia so he could rest. He suddenly sat up straight and said he was feeling much better! The therapist could not stop laughing. So yes, I am now learning to be a mom to an autistic teenager.
I was trying to tell him the story of the boy who cried wolf. I realized that such stories are really a waste of time, unless one day it is suddenly going to dawn on him! I have done my bit, now the cosmos has to act in the strange way it always does, and make him see what the story means!

I continue to be amazed at the technological advances Steve Jobs and his men are making. The apple store is definitely a fabulous place to visit while strolling at the mall. May they continue with their successes and more and more people will be compelled to sit at one spot and get addicted to their gadgets. Seriously, their gadgets are really really cool! And seriously, more people need to move it and exercise!

Christmas has come and gone. The final week of the year is here. In retrospect, I realized how much one can miss a person and how the realization of the importance of that person in one's life hits after the person is gone. I often wonder if she ever knew how much she meant to me. This year was mostly about learning to cope without a very loved person being around.