Thanksgiving is a holiday that’s full of traditions.

I grew up with all the usual trappings for the holiday, the turkey, dressing, cranberries and the like. And in my own family, we have a few more of our own – of getting up to watch the Macy’s Parade in our pajamas, while we have french toast…

Of course, Autism makes everything more difficult. The Monster has very specific eating habits, so as you can imagine, he’s not the most flexible about having things in forms that he’s not familiar with. My french toast, made with challah, doesn’t look like the french toast that his mother gives him from a box from the freezer. And don’t even start about the issue of what we eat for dinner – there’s reasons that I saw other Autism parents make comments on Facebook about having to order pizza for one person for the holiday.

And still, the Monster does surprise me now and again. He actually sat still for part of the parade, and he and R did notice some of the balloons floating down the road. (They’re not as interested in the musical performances or marching bands.) Over the course of the morning, he actually ate all of the french toast I’d put on his plate… and then at dinner, after pleading, cajoling, bribing with no good effect, he quietly settled in at his plate when no one was noticing to eat all of his turkey.

It’s a start, of course, and not at all what the feeding clinic wants from him (they’d argue it’s a failure due to length of time required). Still, if it keeps our holiday traditions alive…