Sunday, April 15, 2012

SOC Sunday: Spelling Lessons


Thank goodness for SOC Sundays, because just when I was about to get things done yesterday, I had a wee stomach bug that sidelined me for the day.  And once again, between school vacation full-time momming and LTYM (which I adore, but is a bigger job than I had bargained for) taking over my life, my poor blog is suffering. But with SOC Sunday I can take a snippet out of my brain and call it a post. Wheeeee!

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Jacob is getting really crafty. He's always got something going on... some phrase or word or sound that he repeats over and over.  When he was little it was word-for-word scripting from his favorite TV shows. But he's become much more creative now.

His language is growing by leaps and bounds, and I'm not complaining about that in the least.  OK, I;m lying, I DO complain about it sometimes when he talks all the time. We are a family of talkers, and often there is precious little peace in the house.

There is a lot that is frustrating for Jacob in life, and he needs to vent his frustration like we all do.  And these days, his favorite word to do that with? Is "Stupid" - which happens to be one of my least favorite words in the English language (of course).

The first time he used it, I was thrilled with his being "age-appropriate" (I even wrote a post about it!) but now I'm getting really tired of it.

Because, of course, once he realized it annoys me? Its value has risen sky high. So it's not just being used to express his feelings ("Stupid Batman!" when he can't get the guy to fit in the Batmobile in a way that lets the top close) but instead, it's become his beloved catchphrase.

He inserts it into EVERYTHING... asking to watch "Sponge Bob Stupid Pants," asking for his "stupid" dinner and singing "Twinkle Twinkle Stupid Star" along with me at night.

And then, when I have had enough and start threatening loss of privileges - like his beloved TV - if he says it again? He is changes over to... spelling it out: S - T - U - P - I - D.  And I have to laugh, as he is being so clever.

I still don't like it, but as he is being so S-M-A-R-T about it, I let it slide when he spells it.

The other thing Jake's taken up lately is mewoing like Gary the pet snail in Sponge Bob. This isn't a frustration release, he just enjoys the sound, in a delightful stimmy sort of way. And I know that stimming calms autists and makes them happy, so I'm not trying to completely squash him when he makes the sounds that bring him such joy.

But I really don't want them being bellowed 3 inches from my face, either.  So I am asking him at times to stop meowing. And you know what he's doing, then?

Yup.

M - E - O - W.

Smart-ass kid.

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New to SOCS?  It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump.  Want to try it?  Here are the rules…
  • Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
  • Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spell-checking. This is writing in the raw.
You can do it, too!  Click on the picture link and let's hear your 5 minutes of brilliance...

10 comments:

  1. M-E-O-W

    You just can't be frustrated when a kid is being that cute!

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    1. Exactly! And I didn't even get to mention that when he was doing his annoying cackling, fake, really loud laugh and I asked him to stop? I got... "L-A-U-G-H." I didn't know he know how to spell that one!

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  2. You have a real cute and smart kid. I really hope my 5 yr old starts spelling more so that his vocabulary will improve.

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  3. When I worked at a school for children with mental health issues several years ago, it was the children with autism who could make me laugh more than anyone else on the planet. Maybe it's the outside-the-box thinking that comes with being neurologically different that sparks the autistic person's sense of humor.

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  4. Cute! I am sure it is annoying when it is happening, but reading about it from the outside, cute is the first thought that came to my mind.

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    1. Truth is I find it cute too. Although it pretty much destroys any cred I have as a disciplinarian when he cracks me up (and he does).

      The thing is, there is so much humor and creativity to this, as well as wiliness and craftiness. And when that comes out of my autistic and supposedly "literal thinking" kid? I just have to celebrate it. Even when my ears are near bleeding after hours of meowing.

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  5. I so love that he spelled the word. That's genius, really!

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  6. I'm so glad V can't spell yet! I'd never be able to keep a straight face, and we all know it's game over when we laugh *g*

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  7. Love his spunkiness! Smart boy. I had a big talker and when in the car and he kept going, I would say "Let's have quiet time for ten minutes, watch the clock". Sort of worked.

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  8. You know this already, but that's what MOST kids like to do that. At least it's not the word POOP that always seems to rear its ugly head in this house.

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I am so sorry to have to turn word verification back on, but the spam-bots have found me - yikes!