So, while most of what I write about here has to do with the Monster, there’s times that R is going to make his own appearance due to things being what they are.
For those who don’t frequently notice him pop up – R is our younger son and the Monster’s little brother, 19 months old at this point. Because the Monster is on the Spectrum – and we had reasonable certainty that would be the diagnosis well before we started trying for R – we’ve always been a little more cautious about keeping an eye on how R is developing.
One thing I’ve learned through the last year and a half is to not freak out about certain things. There are days, for instance, where R toe-walks, or he spins around. It’s taken us quite a while to realize that he’s mostly imitating the Monster, rather than developing the behaviors all on his own. (Bear in mind that he’s in a number of studies, so we get him tested frequently, so we’re fairly certain that he’s not on the Spectrum.)
I’ve taken the week off from work since we thought the Monster would be home, so I’ve been home to interact more with R without his brother around. When I’d returned from the morning run to camp, R was wandering around the living room getting into everything as is his want, and discovered the Monster’s therapy brush sitting on a table, which I scooped up before he could grab it.
“Buhsh!” he insisted. “Buhsh! Buhsh!”
“Yes, it is [the Monster]’s brush,” I said to him proudly.
“Hold it!” he shouted, holding out his hands.
“Wait, what?”
“Hold it!” R repeated. “Hold it!”
“Hold it” is one of the Monster’s favorite phrases for when he wants something someone else is holding. I must have looked very concerned, because the wife immediately pointed out that:
- “Hold it” is a perfectly acceptable phrase in that current context, and
- the phrase itself is perfectly on-track for a child of his age
I suppose, once again, I’ve spent so much time dealing with a child on the Spectrum that it’s easy to forget what “normal” is. And, as we say, paranoia is perfectly normal for subsequent children…