I love surprises.

Dealing with a son with AS really beats you out sometimes.  Some days I come home from work and ask him how his day went and he'd say something like : "Normal. Mama, I don't want to talk about it, if that's ok."  That, coupled with a somber look on his face.  I just know that someone at school made fun of him for behaving in a weird way. Or he went berserk because he got frustrated over some little thing at school that ticked him off. Those times I feel totally useless and worthless to him. That really sucks.

BUT there are days when he surprises me.  Just last week, he asks me: Mama, how do you make friends?  I ask him about who it is he wanted to be friends with and it turns out to be a neuro-typical girl in school who likes Pokemon just as much as he does. I was so excited, I rambled on and on about how to make a good impression, how to find the right timing to approach her and talk about stuff. I've been there, done that, I know how to catch someones' attention.:) My son is growing up!

He also gets asked to go on "playdates" and sleepovers more often. He looks forward to these and actually tries to convince me that he's going to be ok.  That is a big step. Normally, he wouldn't care to spend time with friends. He'd much rather stay home and play alone. He's turning independent, slowly but surely. :)

One morning after a particularly long night at the office, I wake up to this on my mirror:

He never told me about joining the Quiz Bee! I didn't even see him preparing for anything remotely close to a contest. But this just blew my mind! I love surprises!