Say WHAT?

Our nightly routine is the "What did you do today" round of questioning during dinner.  It is one of my most favorite times with the kids, we either pull information from them or we can't stop the flood... Tonight Owen shared something he learned.

Owen: Do you know old man time?
Donn: Who's that?
Owen: It's a figure of speech.
Donn: What's a figure of speech?
Owen: Like a catch phrase.

Let me explain why this is amazing.  Kids with aspergers, typically, just don't have the capacity to process figures of speech (this is one of the first things that the neurologist that diagnosed Owen with this form as autism explained to me).  At the time I didn't think it would ever come in to play, that very day I told him to "keep his shirt on" when he was rushing me, and he said "It is on..." I knew then I would be modifying the way I spoke to him.

Also at dinner...

I turn to Brooklynn and ask her if she wants to sneak off to go shopping with me after dinner.  She said, "I don't have any money but I have my credit card".  The fact that she said it with it such conviction made me almost believe the store would take the construction paper debit...

I was thinking about some of the funnier things that the kids have said in the past, here are some of my most favorite...

God Lives Where?

Owen: "Where does God live?"
Me: "In your heart?"
Owen: "Behind my imagination?"
Me: "We should go to church and you can ask the pastor"
Owen: "Can I meet him?"
Me: "The pastor, sure"
Owen: "No, God"
Me: "....ummm"

Can They Hear Me?

Brooklynn and I watch American Idol together.  We were watching the contestants sing and she was being overly critically, she made Simon look like Mother Theresa.  In an effort to try to get her to understand how hurtful word could be I told her "Brooklynn you shouldn't say mean things like that".  Her response... "Why, can they hear me?" ughh. I had no comeback.