So, my Slider is 12 and is on the severe and profound side of the Autism spectrum. He is just about the most incredible person I've ever met. I know all parents are suppose to feel this way about their children but for me it's actually literal. Slider knows no malice. He is kind and sweet and for the most part, gentle. He is usually giddy with happiness and laughing for no apparent reason. My mother thinks that he is an angel. I think he is as near perfection as you can get. His mind isn't cluttered with all of the stuff that goes along with being a neurotypical human being. When someone isn't nice to him, he doesn't retaliate. He also can't figure out what the hell just happened. I mean, why would someone choose to be unkind? It's just not within his realm of understanding. This is both a blessing and a curse. I spend an unreasonable amount of energy worrying about him and hoping he won't be mistreated or taken advantage of. I don't see that changing within my lifetime. I probably will always worry.
Now just because I think Slider is an exceptional person does not mean that he doesn't drive me completely bonkers. We have, in fact, entered puberty. {enter scary and menacing music here} He has recently changed from wanting to always please to pretending that he can't hear me at all. Is this what typical teenagers do? I suspect this is so.
