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06/09/2015
Hi Dr. Laura,
My 10-year-old son is on the Autistic Spectrum with mild Asperger's Syndrome tendencies: he talks a lot, has no filter for his thoughts, but follows the rules. He was at a new school this year with smaller class sizes. He has no problems academically, as kids like him are usually very smart, but not all of the kids get him or take the time to understand his overzealous behaviors. As the school is 30 minutes away, and is the opposite direction of my other son's school, I put him in a carpool with some neighborhood children. After one week, I was told the other children were not happy with my son in the carpool. Let me tell you what has happened since then...
Because I started driving him to school, I had to switch to a different spin class which I don't like as much. My gas bills have hit the roof, my back aches and my butt hurts from hitting the brakes all through rush hour traffic every morning. BUT, I have gotten to know my son. I mean REALLY know my son. For those 30 minutes each way where it is just the two of us, no distractions, no older brother, no homework, we have had AMAZING conversations! Although I have been a stay-at-home mom his whole life, there have been plenty of missed opportunities for these incredible, intense talks. This morning, he learned about the food supply chain, causes and treatments for cancer, and corruption in government. I, on the other hand, learned how incredibly heavy lead is: 708 lbs. per cubic feet. Bet you didn't know THAT! Captain America is a Marvel and not a DC superhero - a mistake I will not make twice and that there are at LEAST one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe!
No carpool needed next year. I'm going to get to know my wonderful, funny, talkative, inquisitive son even better!
Kori
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