Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Tactical Maneuvering on the Food Front

Jack's Jem:

Right up front I want to say that my wife (aka the Mom) is a wonderful cook, and I know a lot of you are aware of that.  My waist line can also testify to that as well.  

Now, for those of you out there who are unaware for the majority Autistic children including Jack getting them to try a new food is a battle the even Napoleon would shy away from.  This warfare has been on going in home since Jack was old enough to throw baby food.  Well we the parents fire what might as well serve as a nuclear strike a few weeks ago by using the age old that is whats for dinner and there is nothing else and if you don't eat it, "its for breakfast!"  Jack stood his ground and went to bed with out dinner but over night his resolve waiver and by morning his defenses had collapsed.  He gave in and ate dinner for breakfast.  One small victory for the parents, but one battle does not win the war.

Fast forward to last night, the Mom made a fantastic homemade chicken noodle soup (aka a new food).   Jack took one look and attacked (well not physically) by refusing to eat.  So thinking back to our recent victory, we quickly responded with eat it now or eat it for breakfast.  Jack effectively dug in for a prolonged battle and went up stairs changed into his pajamas and went to bed (all without being told to do so).  Well the Mom stage his bowl of soup for a dawn attack.

Overnight Jack must of realized that he could not overwhelm us with a frontal assault and switched to insurgent warfare right out of the manual from Afghanistan:

1. Don't directly engage the enemy: Jack had gotten out of bed around 5 am and did not come get us. We went to get him up for school and found him playing quietly in his room. 
2. Be friendly with the enemy:  Jack came into my room and said to me "Good Morning Dad, give me my morning snuggles, I love you"  (I knew something was up here!)

3. Maneuver around the enemy:  Jack then told the Mom "I will just eat breakfast at school."

Since we controlled the battle space and in an effort to prevent the war from spilling over into his school and risking innocent teachers ( again not physically) we gave some ground and let him have the normal morning fare.  

But the ambush is set and it's CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP for dinner. OK I may have gone a little overboard with the warfare analogies but it was too much fun.  

Enjoy
The General, ok the Dad.  

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

My room did it and a Formal Introduction

Jack's Jems:

  Here is two short Jems from last night and this morning:

Jem 1:

  A few minutes after Jack went to bed he comes back out of his room to the top of the stairs and proclaims, wait for it:  "My room farted and it smells bad, so I opened the door to let it out!"  I am glad I was not drinking anything at the time.  


Jem 2:

  At 6 this morning Jack comes and jumps in our bed and very formally states "Mom, it is your son, Jack."  I am so glad he cleared that up.  

Enjoy
The Dad


Diagnosis Memory Loss

Jack's Jem:

  So yesterday I picked Jack up from the bus after school and took him with me to run some errands.  As we were driving along Jack's looks over at me as says "Dad you didn't play Infinity with me yesterday, when you had a break from your homework." For those who don't know the Disney Infinity is a pretty neat little video game, and we let Jack play on it as a reward.  Now I had told Jack that I would indeed play the Infinity with him when I took a break from my school work.  I told Jack that " Sorry, I just forgot."

  I should have known that would not be the end of it.  Jack looked over at me again and with a very concerned face told me in a very clinical tone "Dad I think you have Short Term Memory Loss, because you forget lots of stuff."  I am laughing out loud at this point, and I really wanted to say to him no I have kids, but I refrained.

  I would like to say that was the end of the story, and I will defend myself up front I had to go and spend money on my first pair of prescription glasses, and dang they are expensive and dang I hate getting old so my mind was very preoccupied after Jack diagnosed me. Later that evening I was standing the kitchen talking with the Mom telling her that Jack had said something funny but I could not for the life of me remember what it was.  Well, Jack walks into the kitchen and says very nonchalantly "memory loss" and walks back out of the kitchen.

Dang it, he may be right.
Well Enjoy, what ever it was I was talking about.
The Dad, I think.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Why are you NOT SLEEPING? OH wait this is a trap!

Jack's Jem:

Oh Sleep, that elusive creature that most parents long to find, is once again missing at our home.  We are missing so much sleep it has taken me two days to pen this post.  Well for those out there that don't know Jack, he has an internal clock that the government could check the atomic clock against.  He is up every morning between 5:45 and 6:00, and when he goes to bed makes no difference.  It is also important to note for later in this post that when he is awake he is awake and at full speed.  Now normally this little wide awake thing is not an issue because his wonderful mother also bounces right out of bed and attacks the day.  Our daughter and I on the other hand are dangerous to be around in the morning.

So let set the picture of this past week; one the mother was sick with the flu so Dad has to get up every morning (Honey, I am not complaining, just making an observation, Love you (yep that was a married disclaimer)), and two all week a small miracle happen Jack slept in every morning until I had to wake him up.  This little treat allow me to have a full cup of coffee before I had to release the beast,  which I desperately needed.  So by Friday I had been lulled in a false since of security, that led me to believe on Friday when the kiddos had a day off from school I would be able to sleep in.  Well Friday morning arrived and at 5:30 AM Jack is in my bed talking to me, ugh.  So, I ask him, why when he slept in every morning this week are you up so early today?  He responded in his best sing song voice "because it's the WEEEEEKEEEENNNNND!"

Jack's Checklist (well this is my opinion on how this all worked out)
1. Bait the trap by sleeping late: Check
2. Set the trap by getting up early on day off: Check
3. Spring the trap on unsuspecting sleeping parents: Check
4. Have fun: Check and Check

After his mother and I stopped laughing, I realized that the whole week of sleeping in most have been Jack charging his batteries for the WEEEEKEEEENNNNND!

Enjoy
One tired sucker of a Dad.


Saturday, January 18, 2014

The Gambler aka the parent

Jack's Jem:


  As I am writing this post I keep hearing the old Kenny Rogers' song "The Gambler" especially the part about knowing when to hold them and knowing when to fold them.  This post is not a true Jem, but it is more an observation of a thought process.  

  Now it is important to note that for a person who falls along the Autism spectrum routine and patterns are more important than just about anything, and Jack is no exception. When Jack's routine is changed or broken it makes an impression, that he does not forget, EVER!  My fellow parents of Autistic children can attest to the fact that changing a routine stands out in a child's memory like the lights of Las Vegas.

  I knew that a change in Jack's pattern was important, but until the other day I really did not get how that change was locked into his memory.  Every school morning Jack's lunch is made by one of his parents and in that lunch box goes the same items; one of those items is an oatmeal cream pie.  That pie has a specific place it goes in a pocket on the outside of said lunch box.  This routine has been going on since the beginning of this school year.  

  Now the other day Jack comes into the kitchen and sees me placing said pie in said pocket and announces "Dad you left out the oatmeal cream pie the other day!" At this instant I like most parents stopped and tried to remember if I was guilty of the offense, then when I couldn't remember I defended myself.  I told Jack that I had not forgotten the pie at any point.  To which Jack responded " you know you did not put it in the pocket the other day."  It was at this point I became the Gambler and had to decide to continue to argue even if I was unsure if I was right or fold and acknowledge the past mistake. 

  Jack was not letting me off either because during my whole internal monologue he stood by quietly and stared at me. I knew there was a very good chance he was right and I did what any good parent would have done, I told him "go finish getting ready for school."  

  It was only a couple of days later that I realized that I had folded without a fight.

Enjoy
The Dad 

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Misfortune

Jack's Jem:

This story requires a small amount of background information to fully appreciate the humor behind this Jem.  So during the Christmas holidays our travel plans to visit family were cancelled twice due to somebody or another being too sick to travel.  That left some of the kids Christmas gifts from the grandparents at their aunt's in Seattle. Well a plan was hatched for us to meet up with the kid's Aunt half way between Seattle and here this morning. Unlike the plans during Christmas no one is sick, but now there is heavy snow and high winds in the mountain pass which makes it unsafe for the "Aunt" to travel.  So goes by the way side another opportunity to get the Christmas gifts and more importantly visit with some family.

So you ask  where is the Jem in all of this, wait for it: 

When we told the kiddos this morning that we were not going to meet up with their aunt.  Jack responded without the slightest hint that he was upset "What, have we been eating misfortune cookies, all this time?"  

His attitude made to whole thing a lot easier to deal with.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Can't Sleep

Jack's Jem:

First off sorry there has not been any posts in awhile the whole family has been sick throughout the holidays, and I just did not have it in me to write.  It was a shame since Jack did not fail to entertain us while we were sick.  If I remember some of his Jems I will get them posted. 

Well on with the story.  So last night I got Jack in bed an as usual he wanted to read in bed so I let him.  About 10 minutes later Jack comes in our room and announces that he can't sleep.  To which his parents in unison gave the same parental reply that is heard every night around the globe "You have only been in there a few minutes now go back to bed!"  Jack would not take that as an answer and offered up his own solution to his alleged insomnia problem, "can you [his parents] dress the cat up like a sheep so I can count her?" 

At this point us as parents take a pause (laughing of course), now I can't guess what my wife was think but as a red blooded American dad I considered this request.  Wanting to get Jack to go to sleep and not being particularly fond of the cat to begin with, I have to admit I imagined ways to dress the cat up as sheep and the possible ways to get her to jump repeatedly over his bed.  Lucky for the cat my wonderful wife interrupted my thought process when she told Jack "Go Back To Bed!"

(note no animals where harmed in the making of this post)

Enjoy
Jack's tired Dad