Dad humor from a father of six, autism
I have lived with my Autistic son now for twenty-seven years. He is “Mildly Autistic, Cognitive Impaired, with a Seizure Disorder,” if labels are important to you.
We call him Bubba or Lil’T even though he is taller than I am.
So, you might be thinking the subtitle here is “Dad Humor”, what is funny about any of that; “Mildly Autistic, Cognitive Impaired, with a Seizure Disorder,”.
The truth is dealing with the difference that is Lil’T as compared to Tobe, Young, JT, Javin, or Jenna can be downright dreadful. So when it is good or funny it stands out.
Take Blueberries. Really, I mean take them all because Lil’t will have none of that. We discovered this one time during our attempts to get him to digest anything other than Chicken and Fries. I thought the kid loves his dollars, so I’ll pay him to eat blueberries. I chose blueberries cause they are yummy like candy, don’t cha know. I had ten one-dollar bills lined up, and ten blueberries on a small plate.
Bubba sat looking at the line up hesitant but daring, anything for a dollar. I’m sure that is what he was saying in his head.
He grabbed a blueberry popped it in his mouth and chewed. All kinds of disgusting washed across his face. Ptooey, he made the spitting sound. “Yucky.” he opened his mouth and let it all fall on the plate on top of the other berries. “No dollars,” he said and walked away, standing by the couch.
My wife and I were sad on the inside but laughing nonetheless. Then he had a seizure. Needless to say, I’ve given up my dream of becoming a Blueberry farmer.
Can you imagine!
Just the other day I walked downstairs and he was seated on the floor in his room coloring a toy story picture singing, “The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town, the boys are back in town.”
I smiled. He is always making me smile. That is a good thing. right?
Copyright: T. Mark Mangum, March 18, 2021.
T. Mark Mangum, a product of the unimaginable worlds of Star Wars, Star Trek, Connan, and the Lord of the Rings. Lover and writer of fiction tales. He is a Veteran and a father of six, and a game enthusiast.