Fixations: Don't Stop 'til Ya Get Enough

For parents of children on the autism spectrum, fixations are often a very familiar part of everyday life.  Fixations are those things your child has become obsessed with and has dedicated countless hours learning about, talking about, thinking about, adoring, and DRIVING YOU CRAZY WITH!!!  Some people on the spectrum go on to make their obsessions their life-long careers.  Others' fixations shift with time to new fixations.  I look forward to these shifts at my house because I can finally learn about something new for awhile.  At my house, I pull double duty with the "fixation monologues" so change is good.

Dining Out

Last night my husband and I had the audacity to interrupt a "pajama day" to go out for dinner.  To my surprise, we encountered only minimal complaints before the girls found it in their hearts to get dressed in real clothes so we could go out for dinner.  (I was informed, however, that by making them change into "real clothes" at 5pm I made this NOT a pajama day.  I guess I owe them one.)  After getting all gussied up-- my husband and I were seriously underdressed-- we piled into the car and headed for the Fish Shack.

Now dining out with my girls presents some interesting problems sometimes and considerable stress for me.  YOU may feel you're getting the night off when you eat out.  I, however, usually end up wondering was it all worth it before my drink arrives at the table.  I have a mental checklist that I usually go through before we ever even leave.  I need to be as prepared as possible for dining in a place that doesn't know all the "rules of mealtime" imposed by my children.  My checklist goes something like this...

Gettin' Gussied Up

As a child, if I strayed from my usual uniform of pants and a t-shirt, my parents would ask me "whatcha gettin' all gussied up for?!"  Trying something new in the wardrobe department prompted this conversation EVERY TIME.  I would look at my clothes and wonder if being gussied up was a good thing or not-- the tone of the question made me suspicious that my clothes "weren't right."  I heard no malice in their words, just an implication that I didn't make the same selection from my closet that they would have.  I would proceed to be self-conscious about my fashion choice.  I don't know if it was their intention or not, but this recurring conversation quashed my interest in "gussying up" for a very, very long time.  I still hear that question bouncing around in my brain every time I put on heels or have to dress up for a special occasion.

Why I'm here bending your ear...

I've considered off and on for quite some time now about writing a blog.  I have waffled on getting started for many reasons, many of which boil down "why would anybody read what I blog about anyway?"  And I've wondered if it is conceited to want to write about my life and publish it for the world (kind of) to read.  Ultimately, I came to the following conclusions: a)  I don't care if anyone reads my writing, and b) writing about my life is a very inexpensive form of therapy for me.  The most this blog may cost me is a laugh at my expensive-- a price I am willing to pay to feel sane at the end.  :)

So what do I have to share, you might ask?  Is this going to be another monolog by some SAHM that has nothing better to do than overshare online?  Maybe, but I hope not.