Can The Adults Please Smoke? 37 and Looking Damn Fine.....- Page 159

[RoadCase]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 10:22am

Good morning adults! BGG and I have arrived, she's sleeping in. BB the radio play sounds like a lot of fun, wish we could be here next weekend.

[D2]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 10:22am

Mornin'

Still just rain here, but soon...

5 kids showed up for class today. It's very quiet, they're all busy working, and I'm just counting the minutes 'til noon.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 10:26am

Moony, can you make that snow procrastinate like you do? Say, until Saturday. I don't want to drive down in it tomorrow.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 10:30am

Moony, I like your thinking!

RC, enjoy your time here. I hope you get to see Side Show while you're here

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 10:59am

SOMMS - no worries - it's just a slushy mess. No accumulation east go 95. By the time you leave for B-town, it will be a soggy memory.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 11:28am

We drove to PA last night instead of dealing with the weather today. It took us 5 hours to do a trip that normally takes about 2.

So worth it, though, to wake up here this morning!

Starting my baking. Let it snow!

Happy, Happy Thanksgiving Eve! xo

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 11:42am

Quiet at work. My call is over, and now I can get some stuff done.

Safe travels to those going out and about.

Happy visiting BGC and RC. I hope you find NY Magical - it usually is during the holiday season.

I stopped by Trader Joe's last night and had a mini meltdown when someone stole the parking spot I was waiting for. Yep, the holiday season has officially arrived!

A big old hug and maybe a kiss to all of the Adults.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 11:52am

I'm not sure why I came into the office today. The psychotic loon is at it again. I'm leaving at noon in hopes of lowering my blood pressure.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my lovely Framily!

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 12:48pm

I never EVER want to enter a grocery store again. EVER.


Or at least until the weekend.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 1:23pm

Poddie, she must share her time between your office and HC's.

[junglered]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 3:03pm

Happy Thanksgiving, Adults!

Gobble, Gobble!

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 3:07pm

Jungle! Enjoy your Thanksgiving my friend.

[junglered]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 3:39pm

Boobs!

Happy Thanksgiving to you, as well!

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 3:51pm

I just went back a page on this thread and saw D2's post about the autistic girl outside Starbucks. First off, sorry that happened. You shouldn't feel bad. Your reaction was completely normal. I'm glad the girl's mom explained what was going on. It does seem to me that there should have been more supervision going on there. Who knows why she was left temporarily alone there like that. Maybe there was the concern that more back-slapping of more people might have occurred inside. Could be too that they're trying to teach her more independence, and it's as learning curve, but meanwhile innocent bystanders like yourself don't deserve getting slapped on the back and such. Hopefully they're also working on curtailing that impluse too. Some behaviors are easier to fix than others.

I have a story that happened a few weeks ago, and mine is from the perspective of being a mom of an autistic young man (our youngest, "E" - grown ass man, but still mama's baby boy!)

It's not unusual for he and I to stop at one place or another on the way home in the mornings after dropping his dad at work. One morning a few weeks ago, we stopped to get some things at a grocery near where we live. Pretty much all the people who work there know us, blah blah. The usual routine is that first we go inside and go to the restrooms to pee. This has always worked out perfectly fine (at this store, other groceries, drug store, Target, wherever). Well on this particular morning (early enough that there weren't a whole lot of other customers yet), while I was finishing up in the ladies' room, I heard a male voice yelling "Dude! What is your problem?!" and not sure what else because I immediately went more or less into semi-panic, protective mom mode, concerned that the yelling might be directed at my son. I quickly dried my hands, rushed out, stepped over to the men's room door and yelled, asking E. if he was okay, and I was just about ready to just go on in there and make sure dadgummit. (I had not heard a peep out of our son, so didn't think he was being physically harmed; he may not talk, but he can make sounds, and in distress or if he strongly doesn't like something, he will even actually say "no, no, no, no, no!")

So then this guy who vaguely looked like a 30ish Steve Guttenberg type, with a baseball cap (to give you a mental picture), came out, wild eyed, (at the same time, I'm holding the men's room door open a crack, trying to see and make sure E. is indeed okay) -- and the guy looked at me and said: "Is there something WRONG with him??" (To me, and I admit I was sensitive in the situation, it was the sort of tone that he may as well have said "What the F is WRONG with him?") I looked at him and said, "My son is autistic and non-verbal." So then he apologizes, said he didn't realize. He then told me that my son had been staring at him while he was in the stall and that it had freaked him out. I told him I was sorry, but assured him that my son had likely just been waiting for the stall and that I was certain he hadn't meant anything else by it. He again said he was sorry but that when someone's looking into your stall like that, it can freak you out. (My husband confirmed to me later that E. does not like using the urinal and prefers going into a stall. He also said that what happened with this guy is exactly why he always goes with him to the men's room when he's with him, as a precaution, just in case anyone questions any behavior -- although he said he's never had anything like this happen.)

At the time this happened, I was a little bit shaken by it. Things went though my head like ... what if that guy had been of a more violent nature? (or worse, what if he was close to "going off" but I got there just in time?) - for instance: I had read a news story some time back about a mentally disabled man who worked at a grocery and had merely complimented a male customer's shirt as he was helping the guy out with his groceries; the customer hauled off and hit the mentally disabled man, knocking some of his teeth out in the process; now that is a much more extreme example, and obviously the customer in that other case is a complete jerk, no question, but in both that case and in ours, there's a similar theme of one person misreading the other person's intent... I also thought of how many times I've been out with E. when it's just him and me and he goes into the men's room, and nothing has happened, including numerous times at this particular store, or the many times a public men's room has had others using it at the same time he is... I also wondered why this guy couldn't tell something was definitely up with my son once he got no verbal response from him whatever. (Actually our son didn't seem phased by any if this at all, or if so he was reverting to his "ignore" mode, which to me is sort of his "I am not acknowledging you, crazy person!")

I can understand this guy being initially "freaked out" by seeing someone peering over the stall at him. I'm not sure what, if anything, the guy said to our son prior to raising his voice enough that I could clearly hear him yelling from the women's restroom. He left pretty soon after all this, so I didn't have a chance to really question him on details. I think E., at first glance, looks normal, but most people, after having any sort of interaction, usually realize ...

Hubby tells me this was one isolated incident and that he doesn't think I need to worry. But since then I have been much more cautious. If a pit stop is in order while we're out, I've had our son go first while I wait, then go myself while he waits for me (and I go fast as I can). At the grocery store near us, they also have a "family restroom," so I said screw it, I don't care how it may look, if it's available, we just both go in that one at the same time. He pees, then while he's washing his hands, I go. I had even told a lady at customer service what had happened that day, just to vent, and she said for us to go ahead and use the family restroom, that it would be fine. But "family" restrooms aren't available every place. That, or we just hold it I guess; not easy on the bigger, longer shopping trips!

Just seems that, freaked out or not, the guy could have reacted better, but I do at least try and see it from his perspective too. And I've also told E. to not stare in at anyone if they're in the stall (figure it's worth a shot, never know what gets through and what doesn't, but over all, his receptivity can be pretty good). I think if the guy had just said something like "let me finish, and then you can have this stall" or something like that instead of stuff like "dude, what's your problem?" our son would have more likely just stood to one side and waited. But as it was, he may have been thinking, "well, my problem is, I need that stall, but you're in it" (since autistics tend to take things more literally)."

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 11/26/14 at 4:09pm

JbaraFan1 thanks for sharing your story. I have a cousin with down syndrome, but with a child like that it is recognizable. Most of my friends who have children with autism, unless you know, you don't see any physical difference(s). It's a hard situation, especially for the parent. As a parent I know how I would react if someone raised their voice to my child. I guess we all need to be aware before we react to a situation...as hard as that is.

[gettinhep]

Posted: 11/27/14 at 12:49am

Happy Turkey Day to all my dear American Adults!

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 11/27/14 at 12:14pm

Happy Thanksgiving!!! *mwah*

[shameless]

Posted: 11/27/14 at 2:50pm

Happy Thanksgiving, Peeps! Enjoy!

No turkey for me, because S and I both had to work. On a brighter note, we're working our notice periods (YAY!). We'll probably cook a breast on Sunday.

How was the parade?

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 7:33am

Morning peeps! LS !!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you makes you feel any better I worked yesterday too. Luckily I worked from home and stopped at 1, so that I was at my brother's for dinner by 3.

The parade was good, especially the Side Show number

Hep, perhaps one year you'll make it over to celebrate with us.

I hope everyone else had a great day!

[RoadCase]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 9:11am

Morning all! BGG and I had a really nice day yesterday. It was the tenth anniversary of Mominator's "I'm not doing BOTH Christmas AND Thanksgiving again this year" revolt, and we returned to the scene of the crime. Watched the parade at 6th and 47th, and Virgil's does a killer smoked turkey. Capped the day off with Pippin.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 9:13am

Sounds like a perfect Thanksgiving to me, RC.

[RoadCase]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 9:21am

It was pretty darned good BB. Not quite as good as the original, but I'll take it. Working in the lobby this morning while BGG sleeps in. Trying to figure out if we can sneak Side Show in before we leave tomorrow evening.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 9:28am

I have faith that you will figure out a way to fit Side Show in...you'll be glad you did.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 12:35pm

Relatively quiet Thanksgiving at a family friends - sister and bro-in-law stayed over on the magic bed/desk, and are now making waffles. Happy Black Friday all!

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 12:42pm

Hey YOU! Glad to hear you had a nice Thanksgiving. "Quiet" seems to be a word my siblings don't understand. I really do think sometimes that I was adopted. It's seems I was born into the LOUD family.