Reflective Ms. Wordy Wednesday
“Hi! I'm here!”
“Top of the morning to you!”
“That sounds more Irish than English?”
“Hmm. Sorry. Well my Mum's Irish. Actually that's just a lie I've sort of slipped into, since I've been out in the States.”
“Lie?”
“Well her parents were Irish, so I say she's Irish, but she was born in England so obviously she's English.”
“Gotcha.”
“If she found out I was going around saying she was Irish she'd have a fit of the vapours.”
“Somehow I always visualize your Mom as being like Princess Margaret.”
“Oh good, she'd like that. The reality is more 'bog Irish.”
“Bog Irish?”
“Yes, don't repeat that though, it's very rude.”
“Rude?”
“Yes, you know, struggled up from the bog kind of a thing.”
“Huh! New one on me. So you're Dad's still Scottish though?”
“Yes.”
“Kilts and bagpipes kinda of a deal?”
“Close enough.”
“Not bog Scottish?”
“Castle.”
“Geez that class thing goes on in Scotland and Ireland too?”
“Don't forget Wales!”
“The little stuck out bit.”
“The same!”
“So what are we looking at today? Child exploitation!”
“Ooo dear that's a little harsh.”
“You've got him scrubbin away at the windows. I just call it like I see it.”
“Yes I can see why you might think that.”
“That's not what I'm seeing?”
“Hmm therapeutic child exploitation sits easier on my soul.”
“What's the therapeutic part?”
“Lots of things.”
“Such as?”
“Making his hands and fingers squeeze the lever on the bottle of Windex.”
“Why?”
“To make them stronger.”
“Are they excessively weak?”
“Maybe not excessively, but if you don't use your hands every day for every day kinds of things, then lots of ordinary little tasks become extraordinary difficult.”
“Bit of a vicious circle then.”
“Spot on.”
“But why window cleaning? Couldn't you have something….I don't know……..more kid like?”
“Well for this guy, it's a question of latching onto anything that he might show a tiny shred of interest.”
“And you're trying to tell me that he's interested in cleaning windows? I just don't buy it.”
“You're right, it's not the cleaning or the windows, it's the blue fluid.”
“Still don't get it. Is blue his favourite colour or something?”
“No, still yellow. If I'm honest I don’t really know what the spark was but he was definitely interested in it, so you work with what you've got. Neither of them rarely show interest in anything outside of their rather narrow fields, so when something catches an eye, you just have to go with it.”
“So you'd call this the Windex developmental stage of autism or the blue period?”
“Er…..?”
“Hah! Got yah, I was teasing.”
“Oooo, very good!”
“So you got him to use the wiper thing too!”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“The stars were favourably aligned that day.”
“Fluke?”
“Who knows?”
“So he managed the crossing the “mid-line thing?”
“Ooo yes, well spotted, you're so good at this.”
“Next time I clean the windows, I'll remind myself of my “mid-lines.”
“You do that dearie.”
“Deal.”
“One last word of warning though.”
“What?”
“Do it too much and you end up with blue skirting boards.”
“You know Maddy, there are many things that we Americans get fixated upon, but you won't catch any of us perseverating or reflecting upon our windows.”
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, “who is the fairest…….”
December 18th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
I think you’ll understand why I was not surprised to find that Charlie had taken a dispenser of the same as above into my bed last night an arrayed it with his “favorite things” (only temporarily, as it turned out).
December 19th, 2007 at 12:50 am
I like it!
I wonder if you could get yellow Windex? Would that make it twice as appealing?
December 19th, 2007 at 2:35 am
Squeezing the triggers on those bottles is difficult with less than strong fingers. He looks just adorable in those photos though
December 19th, 2007 at 3:34 am
And an Irish Top of the morning to you to!!
December 19th, 2007 at 4:01 am
My children all loved cleaning the windows when they were tinies which was rather unfortunate. Huge puddles of dirty brown water and streaky glass was the end result! It was yet another job for old weary bones to rectify!! Actually, keep your son at it because mine are really quite accomplished window cleaners now. As you can see, I have no qualms about child labour
December 19th, 2007 at 4:41 am
Hi *waves madly*
cheers kim.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:48 am
Very clever! I have a friend whose daughter is obsessed with Febreeze and spraying it many times a day. Little does the child know that her special bottle of Febreeze has been filled with water.
December 19th, 2007 at 5:51 am
My kids got so exited when we rtemoved the inside windows and cleaned them with windex. Noddy and Junior both had to help.
I bought some new solid air freshers the other day. All three commented on how great they were and how much they liked them and to please get somemore.
Kids are so darn cute and amazing about things we adults take for granted.
December 19th, 2007 at 5:53 am
Send him here. I have LOTS of windows and all the long narrow one’s he can reach all by himself…
My eldest cleans windows at Grandma’s and won’t at home… wonder what she bribes him with….
S
December 19th, 2007 at 5:58 am
my little guy is obsessed beyond mad with spray bottles. I would never have thought to try and get him to do the windows, great idea!
December 19th, 2007 at 6:30 am
This is fantastic! No, wait… That’s a different cleaning product! This is great!
)
December 19th, 2007 at 6:49 am
The Elder and The Younger both like using spray bottles. Typically it starts off with something non-productive such as spraying the wall 1″ from the wall, leaving a nice spray blot and running streams of cleaner. Then it gets it fun stuff, like spraying each other… Port-a-baths.
We’ve moved away from the chemical cleaners to a more natural solvent, so although we don’t have to call Poison Control each time they decide to play “Car Wash”, it does add up in the pocket book.
December 19th, 2007 at 7:03 am
I need to get “putting fingers on everything” girl to start using some cleaning products…lol
December 19th, 2007 at 7:36 am
So do you let him use real windex? I found your blog via Kentucky Woman.
December 19th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Wow. I’m relatively new to your blog Maddy and though I read assiduously, I rarely comment because I never know what to say – your experience is so many millions of miles from mine…
Today, though, I have to say that I find what you deal with on a day to day basis mind boggling. I don’t know how you do it. I really really don’t.
You are an amazing woman Maddy. I admire you tremendously.
December 19th, 2007 at 8:06 am
I’m a bit new to your blog, I really enjoy reading it’s really helped me to understand Autism and what children with ASD are like.
I am glad that he’s cleaning the windows my son also loves to help with cleaning the windows.
December 19th, 2007 at 8:26 am
My son loves vacuuming, I need to find a chore for my little girl… hmm, the windows do need cleaning.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:05 am
hey there is squueezy goodness and smurfy blueness and squeegies are fun to squeak across the glass. i’m thinking you have tome fun tactile stuff going on too.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:34 am
Blue fluids, eh? What ever it takes!
December 19th, 2007 at 10:21 am
I’m with Veronica, yellow windex would be the bomb. I’ve seen purple and red and orangish color, they might make yellow in windex or 409.
He is just so dang adorable too!!!!
December 19th, 2007 at 10:22 am
I’ve been trying in vain to get my kids interested in weeing IN the toilet.
Maybe if I made the water blue?
December 19th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Seriously Maddy, who has a mini window squeegie on hand? Am I that bad of a housekeeper? My boys love spray bottles and soap dispensers. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes that’s not so good.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Oooohh…something new to try with Xander. He, too, would be fascinated with the blue fluid!
December 19th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Well, I’m breaking my way through two feet of snow so wave hi and giggle at this post. Since we talked about it I’ve gotten Patrick his bottle with food colouring for spraying his snowmen. Loves it! I’m prefering it to him streaking my mirrors.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
The blue period, I love it!
December 19th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Brilliant! Educational and helping with the cleaning! And he looks good doing it.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Oh the blue period, how picasso!
December 19th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
You are such a diligent mother; “good for you” here is very much due you. I’m always the one who says, “let me do it,” and as you point out, that is never really the best course of action.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
But bogs are where peat comes from and peat is what makes Whiskey, so bog is good.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Kids are always happy with a squirter bottle.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Squeezing the trigger, crossing midline, holding the squeegee…all quite impressive! Too bad we don’t live near each other; Nik could prep all the windwos for you with his sticky little fingers and his kisses on the glass! LOL
December 19th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Hmmm..Since Jack likes to spin and jump, maybe I could apply little pledge dusting cloths to his hands and feet? That’s probably taking it too far isn’t it…
Your boys look so much like my Jack! It’s crazy…
December 19th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I always let my children scrub/shine/wash things when they want, and not because we necessarily have issues–rather, I’m not that keen on housework.
Gave you an award over at my blog–swing by and pick it up when you get the chance…
December 19th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
you’re so clever!
and blue period? snort.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
I have always thought Windex should come in flavors…lemon, rasberry. Wouldn’t that go over big?
December 20th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Quite the clever mother you are!