Excuse me? WHAT did you just say?!?!

Ever have one of those conversations with someone where you can't remember how it started, but at some point you can't believe what you are hearing?  Given that I have an Aspie kid, I have those with him quite frequently, but when it happens with others it can catch me by surprise.

My husband and I were cleaning the house before we had company for the holidays and he made a reference to the downstairs 'Dungeon".  Boo's domain.  Home of the gas-station bathroom.  The forbidden place where I descend as seldom as possible.

Cleaning up that disaster is a somewhat Herculean task for Boo since it involves a certain level of organization that he simply does not possess.  Therefore, I usually break it up into more manageable chunks for him. 

• Bring your dirty clothes upstairs.
• Bring the trash upstairs.
• Clean up your books.
• Clean up the bathroom, etc.

Anyway, on this particular day, something happened and my husband wanted to do something differently.  I don't remember what it was he wanted, but I commented that it wasn't the way Boo was used to doing it, so it probably wouldn't be a time- and energy-saver.

At which point, Albert makes the comment, "Well, he just needs to learn to improvise."

Seriously.  Improvise.  Not really something we associate with kids on the spectrum, is it?

I just put down what I was doing, looked him in the eye, and said, "You haven't read a single one of the things I gave you about Asperger's, have you?"

"No.  Why do you ask?"

"No reason, dear.  No reason at all."

*sigh*