Mommy's Car Has an Owee

Kids say the darnedest things. Truth be told, Mommy's car does indeed have a boo-boo on her bumper. However, kids like John with autism (or, more precisely, Asperger's Syndrome) tend to fixate on things and repeat themselves. Here's where the story begins:

About a week ago, John and I were doing some yardwork. By "doing some yardwork" I mean that I was operating a new leaf blower that I got for my birthday, and John was sitting in his Little Tykes car in the garage, covering his ears. Every time I stopped, he announced "All done," as if announcing it made it so. When I would say "Almost", he'd pout and cover his ears again. Many autistic people are hypersensitive (or hyposensitive) in some areas, and Burrito's are touch and sound. He's definitely hypersensitive to sounds, especially higher-pitched noises. Lately, though, he's learned to cover his ears.

In between proclaiming the completion of my leaf-blowing task, he noticed the boo-boo on Mommy's bumper. Mommy's car gets boo-boos from time to time, which are typically the result of Mommy "acquiring stationary targets" in parking lots. He began poking at it, and, in a completely predictable move, he went and got a toy car and began driving it over his new-found bump. After I was "All done," he asked me what was wrong with Mommy's car. I said it had an owee.

Now John gets into Mommy's car and says things like "It's okay, Mommy's car" and tells Mommy that her car has an owee. He also points out that Daddy's Truck is okay. Which it is, in large part because Daddy doesn't seem to have radar-lock on other cars. Being autistic, however, means that John doesn't let go of this. Take 1 part autism, add 2 parts fixation with anything that has wheels and moves, add a bump on the bumper, and it's a recipe for an endless stream of "Mommy's car has an owee" when my wife is driving.

Of course, she thinks I put John up to this. I wish I could say I did, because it's just priceless to hear him say it.