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The Sharktopus Film/Food Fest is officially over.  No one could be any happier about that than me;  Courtney;  and Krysten.   Aaron would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I thought that the Berlin tornado movie last year was bad.  I mean, a German movie dubbed over in English where the English words didn’t match their lip movements and the classic line was “I could hurt you real bad!”…………….was actually a notch above Sharktopus.  And since I didn’t win the Mother of the Year award for Vortex Five………….the Berlin tornado movie actually did have a title………….I am convinced that I will win the 2012 Mother of the Year award for enduring Sharktopus. 

Likewise, Krysten and Courtney deserve Friends of the Year awards for giving up a good chunk of their Saturday to watch this movie with Aaron.  Or maybe a settlement from OSHA for damage done to them related to work……………or hazardous duty pay…………..or at least a pat on the back!!

Those young ladies are amazing, really.  They love Aaron and they came all pepped up and happy, ready to have some fun.  Aaron just wanted to know what size pizzas I was ordering and how many.  I surprised him with the bread sticks, which we caught him trying to put in his pocket before I grabbed them to put away with the little bit of leftover pizza that somehow we managed to rescue before he scarfed it all down. 

He’s worse than Sharktopus.

We decided to eat the pizza and bread sticks before the movie, as well as the Fruit Pizza cookies that Krysten brought.  Yum!!  We couldn’t put it off any longer, though – it was finally time to watch Sharktopus.  Of course, Aaron had to homestead in his chair, getting up repeatedly until he had everything just so-so.  His blanket, his slippers and slipper socks (yes, both!), his clock, his bag of tostito chips, his crumb bowl, his napkins, a band aid that I had to put on his finger, and I don’t know what else.  Sometimes not knowing is easier.

Sharktopus was beyond awful.  It was predictable with terrible acting, no plot worth mentioning, totally unbelievable story line, absurdly ridiculous special effects………….shall I continue?  And Aaron loved it!  He kept asking us if we liked it and what did we think of this scene and that scene, of this comment and that comment, etc., etc.  Sharktopus is 89 minutes long and we were counting every single one of those minutes.  Riveting……….absolutely riveting. 

At the end of this classic movie, when Sharktopus is blown to bits……….sorry for the spoiler for those of you who will plan to waste 89 minutes watching this movie……………there is an unforgettable line when the girl says, “Do you think that Sharktopus will come back?”  And the guy says, “That only happens in the movies.”  Wow.  Deep.    And I hope it is only in the movies because I WILL not buy or watch that one.

There was a trailer before Sharktopus played that showed another first-class ScyFy movie.  It’s called Dinocroc vs. Supergator………..I think.  I am so hoping that Aaron doesn’t notice or research this movie, even though I was very intrigued by the trailer and I talked about it.  What was I thinking?!  I’ve paid my dues, though.  No more.

We did it!!!!!!

Courtney and Krysten went on their way.  They offered to bring the next movie that we watch.  They are not only sweet…………….they are smart. 

First of all, I do not want to be embarrassing or demeaning to Aaron with this post – but there is a facet of Aaron that is very interesting.  I was reminded of it this morning when he came downstairs.  I could tell that he didn’t have his usual bounce.  He was somber and his eyes showed an element of fear.

“Mom,” he quietly said, “the toilet upstairs is stopped up.”  I understood, then, why Aaron was so quiet and withdrawn.  He has always battled a fear of toilets.  Yes, big and loud Aaron is afraid of toilets.  And he is even more afraid of stopped-up toilets.

I probably unknowingly created this monster – or at least contributed greatly to it.  The year was 1987.  Gary was in the military and we had enjoyed several years in Colorado Springs, our first duty assignment.  In May of 1987, he traveled to Germany to begin his new flying assignment there.  Aaron, Andrea, and I had to wait until Gary got temporary quarters, at least, before we could join him.  That didn’t happen until August, so in August we  moved to Germany. 

We had only been there for a few weeks when Gary had to go to the field for several weeks.  There we were, living on the fourth floor of a huge building full of temporary quarters while we waited for our permanent housing to become available.  Surroundings there were a little drab and sparse, to say the least.  I didn’t know many people; couldn’t drive yet; had a 2 1/2 year old and a 1 year old; the washers and dryers were way down on the basement level; etc., etc. 

The morning that I woke up and said goodbye to Gary was a lesson in having my own personal pep talk, as well as leaning on the Lord.  I told myself that I could do this – no problem!  Soon I heard Aaron and Andrea giggling, so I walked in their room to find this:

Not the best start, but what can you do – except laugh and take pictures?!  Anyway, in the midst of all this stress I decided that I may as well begin potty training Aaron.  I had waited long enough during our moves and upheaval, so why not now?  I had gotten him some cute little GI Joe underwear and proceeded to fill him with excitement about our new potty-training venture.  “Look at your new GI Joe underwear, Aaron!!  Won’t this be fun?!”    “Look at you, such a big boy in your GI Joe underwear!!”  And on and on I went.

Soon after he started wearing his GI Joe underwear, of course, he pooped in them.  No big deal, I thought.  I knew that I could just swish them around a little in the toilet, put them in the underwear pail, and we’d be good as new.  But I never thought about the difference in American and German toilets.  German toilets are eco-friendly.  They have a shelf, then a drop-off, and then just a tiny little bit of water below the drop-off.   To make this design effective, the toilets have an extremely strong suction when you flush.

OK.  I stood Aaron by the toilet, took his special and wonderful GI Joe underpants off, and soon realized that there wasn’t enough water in the toilet with which to clean them.  I decided to hold them down in the little bit of water below the shelf, flush, and let the flushing water clean them off while I held them.  I was feeling very smart as I reached over to the handle and flushed, with Aaron standing there watching his very smart mother’s every move as I held his very special GI Joe underwear down in the little bit of water. 

One thing I hadn’t counted on……………..the suction.  The very strong suction.  It ripped Aaron’s special GI Joe underwear right out of my hand and sucked it down the toilet, never to be seen or heard from again.  I can still hear that suction sound.  I bet Aaron can, too.  Poor little guy!  He stood there staring down in that toilet, eyes huge, and speechless with fright. 

From that point on, Aaron wanted nothing to do with any form of toilet or potty chair.  He’d look at me as if to say, “Do you honestly think I’m going to sit on that monster?!”  Couldn’t say that I blamed him.  Potty training him took a very long time.  The autism certainly didn’t help, but the monster suction toilet that ate his special GI Joe underwear was not a bright spot in our potty training journey.

Aaron’s lifelong fear of toilets is legendary in our family.  We have some funny stories of how he’s behaved over the years in public toilets, trying to stretch his arm out to flush while running out of the stall as fast as he can.  He does much, much better now but still has a hesitation around these contraptions.  And like this morning, if it’s stopped up then I must fix it right away.

So I asked him this morning, “Aaron, do you want me to fix it right now?”   He said yes, and I knew it couldn’t wait.  I asked him, actually, if he would be OK if I worked on it later, and he got “that” look as he said no, that he wanted me to do it now.  No need to question him further, or make him feel bad for being fearful of the stopped-up toilet. 

And no need to expect him to help me or to be anywhere near the bathroom as I plunge and flush.  He’s as far away as he can be, probably remembering his special GI Joe underwear and hearing that awful sound. 

He and I do NOT miss German toilets!

For any of you who are interested……………..and I can’t imagine, seriously, why you would be………….Aaron is now in possession of the infamous Sharktopus movie. 

It’s another of those “Have we done the right thing?”  moments that Gary and I seem to have so many of with Aaron.  Well, anyway, we did do it and what’s done is done. 

Aaron is very happy and wants to share his happiness with others.  Spread some high culture around, you know?  And so he has invited some of the staff from Paradigm over on Saturday to watch Sharktopus with him.  Krysten and Courtney actually bit…………..pun intended (sorry)…………..and therefore on Saturday at lunch there will be a showing of Sharktopus in our family room.

Gary and/or I will probably be drug into this showing, too………….another pun…………..this is how I survive, so please understand.

I will order pizza.  Aaron thinks that pizza makes every gathering just perfect and has already been asking me how many LARGE pizzas I plan to order, and where I will order them from, and can we get three LARGE pizzas, and if we get three LARGE pizzas, and the three LARGE pizzas are from Papa Johns, then can he have all three of the garlic butters? 

It’s gonna be one of those days.  I’m not sure I’m up to handling both a food fest and a fish fest………at the same time.   I’m thinking………….pizza sauce and Sharktopus…………..you know?

Krysten was texting earlier and asked if she could bring anything.  Yes!

Barf bags.  

Sometimes when Aaron gets up in the morning, he’ll immediately get on his computer and start playing a game.  We’ve had mornings when he doesn’t want to get off the game, then, to get himself ready to go head out the door and meet his group.  Some mornings have been pretty rough as he’s gotten very grouchy.  And when Aaron gets very grouchy, he can really get VERY grouchy.

So Gary and I started unplugging his keyboard at night, removing it from his room, and putting it somewhere safe and unseen – only to be plugged back in after he was gone in the mornings.  This kept him from that ever-present temptation to get “hooked on a game”, as he says, and possibly become VERY grouchy.

This plan has worked well – but for the past few days, Aaron has wanted us to try leaving it plugged in and give him the chance to show us that he can control himself.  He’s actually done great with this arrangement for the past few days, either not getting on the computer at all or getting on for awhile but being willing to quit the game and get ready without becoming VERY grouchy.  He has wanted to show us that we can trust him.

Today he had a harder time removing himself from his game, however.  He didn’t become VERY grouchy or even a little grouchy, though, which was good.  However, he got off the game rather late and had to really rush to get everything done.  He was worried about my reaction and decided he needed to explain himself.

Mr. Precise Aaron said, “Mom, I got up early……..at 6:59!!  What was I supposed to do?  I HAD to get on the computer!”

No, Aaron – no one was holding a gun to your head, telling you that you HAD to get on the computer.   And I don’t mind you playing for awhile but I want you to get off in time to get ready.

He was still worried about the situation.  Then he asked, “So…….did I lose my trust?”

Ah, Aaron, you do have a way of expressing yourself.  Did you lose your trust?  Somehow phrasing this question that way gives me pause and makes me think.  Aaron has “lost his trust” as we’ve struggled at times with him not telling us the truth, or cheating when we play Skip-Bo, or hiding money in his desk so he’ll have more to spend the next day.  Just this week I found out that he had once again done the hiding trick with his money. 

Strange…………..no matter the level of disability, the innate tendency of us humans is to sin.  That’s what it is……….plain old sin from our plain old sin natures.  So instead of correcting Aaron’s phrasing, I used it to try to tell him how the way he hid his money and then lied about what he bought while bowling did make him lose his trust.  Maybe he’ll understand it better if I speak in his terms. 

Mom and Dad are hurt, Aaron, when you lose your trust.  But more important, so is God. 

Aaron listens, hangs his head, and thumps downstairs to get Jackson a bone and grab his huge bag of Skittles to take to Paradigm.  I wonder if he’s learned his lesson.  In all reality………..probably not. 

Sometimes I don’t, either.  But once again, God continues to love……….and so do I.

Aaron was full of energy yesterday when he returned from his group.  “Mom!  Paradigm bought us pizza while we were at the bowling alley!” 

That’s great, Aaron!  Did you eat some?  “Yeah, I ate some!”

So I guess you didn’t spend any money, then?  “No, I spent my money on some chicken strips!”

You ate chicken strips AND pizza?   He confirmed that he had.  Wow!

Therefore, I assumed that he wasn’t hungry and so didn’t call him down for supper.  He has a sense, though, about when Gary and I just sit down to eat…………because there he came, clomping down the stairs to join us.  “Aaron, aren’t you stuffed from pizza AND chicken strips?  I didn’t think you’d want to eat.”

But noooooo………….he wanted to sit with us……………not to eat so much as to talk.  The eating was a sideline, but while he’s there he may as well, right?

So he grabbed a bowl for his salad and another bowl for his soup and several utensils because he can’t mix and match those.  And several napkins………..one will never do.

He wanted to tell us about his day – other than pizza AND chicken strips at the bowling alley.  He had news about his friend.  “Hey, ______’s mom brought muffins to Paradigm today!”

Really?  What kind of muffins were they?   “I don’t know.”

Well, did you eat one?  “No, but they had chocolate swirly stuff on top.  And those sprinkle things.”

They must have been cupcakes with chocolate icing.  “Yeah, that’s what they were!” 

So was it _____’s birthday?  “I don’t know.”    Did they sing Happy Birthday?    “I don’t know.”

This coming from the young man who can hear Gary and I having a conversation from two floors above, or who can spy a cigarette butt from across the Wal-Mart parking lot……………so he can run and try to pick it up, just to hear me tell him to stop!

Anyway, Aaron didn’t seem to know much about why there were cupcakes – or muffins – or whatever.  But what he did find out and wanted to tell us was:

“________ said that she was born in the jungle!!”

Yes, Aaron.  ________’s mother told me that she was born there.

“I bet she’s African!!!”     (Check out my blog – Where is He From? – to better understand)

No, Aaron, ________ is not African.  She’s from South America.  Her mother went down and adopted her soon after she was born. 

And then the question of the evening, as Aaron paused for thought.  “So what is her species?”

Gary and I were speechless for a second, long enough for Aaron to answer his own question.  “I bet she’s jungle people!!”

Oh good grief, Aaron!  You’ve been reading too many science books or watching too many Sharktopus-type movies!    ___________ is a human being!!!!!

And of course, he knows that.  He gets his terms all mixed up but sometimes it sounds pretty awful, you know?  He’s clueless as he goes on merrily talking about whether they swing on vines there in the jungle, etc.  He thought that this jungle story was extremely fascinating and put his friend in a whole different light. 

I just hope that whatever he says from this point on isn’t offensive, because he sure can be just that without even knowing it.  Maybe today there will be two more food choices to occupy his mind instead of jungle stories!

Aaron and I were on our way this morning to meet Cody, Aaron’s Paradigm staff, and of course the Sharktopus movie came up – again!  I told Aaron that I really didn’t like the fact that the girls on the beach in the movie were wearing bikinis.  And then he informed me, “Mom, I don’t like it when YOU think!” 

Well!  And then he went on to explain that he didn’t like me to think of all these things that bothered me about some of his movie choices.  I realize that what bothers me doesn’t often bother him – but I am still MOM!  Right?

We pulled up beside Cody’s truck.  Cody has learned to go ahead and roll down his window because Aaron is going to stand there and talk for a minute – or longer – before he gets in the vehicle.  Aaron jumped out of our van and exclaimed (loudly), “Hey Cody!  Mom doesn’t know if she wants me to get Sharktopus because the girls are wearing BOO-KINIS!!” 

Yes, I spelled it correctly – at least correct according to Aaron.  Aaron has always pronounced the word “bikini”  as  “boo-kini.”  I used to correct him in this pronunciation goof, but now I just let it go.  To him it would still come out as “boo-kini.” 

And really, when I see some of the women who are wearing bikinis…………..well, they’re pretty scary.   BOO!   That would be me, actually, if I were to wear a “boo-kini.” 

Enough of that.  Cody was cracking up at the “boo-kini” comment……….and so was I.  Aaron noticed our laughter and was delighted that he had said something funny – although he wasn’t quite sure what it was that brought such laughter.  So he turned to me and said, “Right, Mom?  You don’t know about those girls wearing BOO-KINIS!”  

Which brought even more laughter, which resulted in Aaron bending at the waist and rubbing his hands together with great joy as he joined in the laughter.  Whatever he had said that caused our hilarity, he was loving it!  Seeing Mom laugh after our morning the day before was wonderful indeed! 

It did feel good to laugh loudly……………even if it was at the thought of young teenage girls wearing BOO-KINIS!!

If I’m going to write about Aaron, I know that I should be honest in presenting him as he really is while still preserving his dignity.  In the O.A.S.I.S. guidelines that I referenced yesterday, under the section titled Emotional Vulnerability, it states:  “Rage reactions/temper outbursts are common in response to stress/frustration.”   This aspect of Asperger’s is one that we have seen all too often in our household.  Aaron handles his frustrations so much better now than he did when he was younger, but he still sometimes has issues in this area.  Such was the case this morning.

Yesterday when Aaron came home from his group, he immediately started asking me if I had called CD Tradepost and found Sharktopus yet.  He was disappointed when I told him that I had not done that, so he pulled out the kitchen drawer, took out the Post-It notes and a pen, and this is what I found on the counter later. 

I’m sure he thought that I must need a reminder and he was all too happy to provide it.  During the evening last night, he talked about the movie some and then this morning he flew to the computer downstairs to start looking it up again online.  I knew what kind of morning it would be when I later reminded him that it was time for him to shower and get ready for Paradigm.  He answered angrily that he didn’t want to get ready and furthermore, didn’t want to go to Paradigm.

Oh boy!  Instead of just being able to talk to me about his stress over this movie, he reacts by being angry at the “thing” in his life at that moment – which in this case was his group, because getting ready for his group was taking  him away from the computer, away from looking at Sharktopus trailers, etc.  Then he transferred that anger to me.  I became the mother who doesn’t care, who doesn’t listen, who likes Andrea and Andrew’s movies more than his, who wasn’t trying to find the movie, and on and on.

When Aaron gets wound up like this, it’s best to just pull back as much as possible from any form of verbal confrontation.  I knew the more I talked, the angrier he would become.  The few comments I made were enough to make him even angrier, so I just got quiet and let him rant.  Even our sweet old Great Dane, Jackson, came slinking into the bathroom with me as I finished getting ready.  He doesn’t like it when Aaron gets angry.

It’s a good thing that our neighborhood lake doesn’t have a Sharktopus.  If it had then I would have been very tempted to take Aaron down for a walk by the lake, if you know what I mean.  Just teasing………………kind of.  Really, after all these years I’ve finally figured out (for the most part) how to deal with these infrequent outbursts.  The quieter I become, then the more concerned Aaron becomes.  He begins to realize that Mom is either mad herself………or hurt. 

Aaron doesn’t show much sorrow or empathy, but I can read him well and I know when he’s nervous because he realizes he’s stepped over the line.  My silence seems to touch him more than anything.  He’ll soften and then begin to say things like, “OK, I’ll go to Paradigm!”  He gets ready, and then returns to talk some more to me…………….and once again, my silence or my short answers tell him that he has crossed a line that is not easily forgotten. 

He called me this afternoon while he was with his group.  He acted as if nothing at all had happened this morning, which is very typical.  He was happy and bubbly and glad he went to Paradigm and had a good time at the “East Mall” and Krysten got them all candy and he had so much fun. 

When he gets home, any minute now, I’m sure he’ll ask about the movie and talk more about his day, all the while gauging my reactions to see how I’m feeling now compared to this morning.  He might even say he’s sorry – he’s actually gotten better about saying those words that come with such difficulty to all of us, and especially to Aaron.  It’s at this time that I can talk to Aaron about his behavior and know that he’s listening. 

But I know that Aaron will some day have another period of frustration that will lead to another outburst.  No amount of reason will reach him at that point.  Yet deep in his heart he knows, from experience, that I love him and that Gary loves him.  He knows that he is always welcome home, even if there are repercussions because of his behavior.  He has a secure home full of unconditional love.  Just like God loves me – that’s how I love Aaron.

He still should be thankful that there is not a Sharktopus in our lake. 

Aaron often exhibits the characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome listed on the O.A.S.I.S. website in an article entitled Understanding the Student with Asperger’s Syndrome:  Guidelines for Teachers.   I’ve referenced this article through the years that I home schooled Aaron after his Asperger’s diagnosis.  I look back at it now as his mother.  The seven main characteristics that are listed, and then the further traits under each main characteristic, are helpful reminders at times about what makes Aaron tick.  Maybe, though, I should change the title to:  Understanding Our Son With Asperger’s Syndrome:  Lifelines for Parents. 

Under the heading titled “Restricted Range of Interests” one of the traits listed is the tendency to have “eccentric preoccupations, or odd, intense fixations.”  Check. 

Aaron loves movies that are, in my opinion, odd.  He gets quite a kick out of anything that’s genetically altered in order to make it huge and hungry.  Rats, bats, spiders, zombies, aliens – he’s not picky.  If they are out to destroy mankind, then Aaron is happy.  He even loves the movies with huge tornadoes (see my Mother of the Year blog)  or other end-of-the-world weather events.  I’ve endured watching erupting volcanoes, roaring fires, enormous hailstones, city-engulfing earthquakes – you name it, I’ve endured it.  Quality and acting ability are lost on Aaron as long as the action is fairly non-stop and the human population is dropping like flies.

So it’s no wonder that once Aaron became aware of the classic movie, Sharktopus, he has become preoccupied and fixated – completely.  As he said, “Mom!! Sharktopus is about a fish creature that’s part shark and part octopus.  It was created by some evil navy men!!”  This sharktopus eats any unfortunate people who are anywhere in or near the water, of course.  And from what I can tell, that’s the entire plot of this amazing movie.  Which is more than enough for Aaron.

He wants me to find this movie, and will leave no stone unturned until I do just that.  To convince me that this movie is worth all this effort, he has been desperate for me to watch the trailer.  Yesterday on the way to his group he talked and talked about it.  I reminded him that when he got home from Paradigm, I might have a friend at the house for a visit and so he would have to wait.  I was NOT going to watch the Sharktopus trailer when my friend was there, pleasant as that might be.

Terri and I were visiting over coffee in the late afternoon when I heard our garage door open.  I told Terri to get ready because Aaron was home.  Terri recently retired from teaching and has worked for years with special needs, plus she’s met Aaron, so I knew she had a good understanding.  Still……..

Aaron burst in the door and said, “Mom!!  Guess what we did today?”  He then proceeded to tell me about going to Wal-Mart, buying a Cheddar Pasta Salad, two more boxes of rolls (read my Rolls blog from the past and know why I sighed), and then………………”I looked for Sharktopus and they don’t have it!  Can we go to CD Tradepost?  Can you take me later?”  I told Aaron no to the CD Tradepost idea and then reminded him that I had a friend there, saying, “Aaron, do you remember Terri?”  He offered the obligatory, mumbled “Hi” and went right back to Sharktopus.  “Mom!  Can you watch the Sharktopus trailer?”

I gave Aaron that look that told him he needed to be quiet as I reminded him that my friend and I were visiting, and IF I looked at a trailer it would be later.  Aaron reluctantly agreed and went on his way, thumping upstairs to his room.  However, in only a few minutes there he came, clomping down the stairs and into the family room where Terri and I sat.  He had on his flannel pajama pants with his pajama shirt tucked in and his pants pulled up at least 6 inches above his waist.  Terri handled the shock of that very well, I thought.

As he turned to me and started talking about the Sharktopus trailer again, I firmly told him that there would be no more discussion as long as I was visiting with my friend.  Aaron marched off to put his dirty clothes away, and as he returned to the family room he looked at Terri, then at me, and asked, “So when is she leaving?” 

AARON!!!!! 

Yes, there it is – under “Impairment in Social Interaction.”  Persons with AS “are insensitive and lack tact.”  And I would add that Mom’s of persons with AS “are often red-faced and frustrated!”

And thankful for understanding friends, for sure!

Aaron has always been extremely fascinated by the nail salon inside of Wal-Mart.  He wonders what those people do in there; why it smells strange; and WHO gets their nails done.  And of course, invariably he will ask me, “Mom, can I get my nails done in there?” 

No, Aaron, you cannot get your nails done.  And his next question is, “Why?”

So I try to explain that guys don’t typically have their nails done…………..although I know that’s not really always the case in this day and age.  Andrea just came home recently from the nail salon with a story of a very, well, unique “man” who was getting a manicure while she was having one.  We decided that she should NOT tell Aaron about this!

I cut Aaron’s nails for him because he has terrible manual dexterity.  For his safety and for the preservation of his fingertips it’s just better if Gary and I take care of that for him.  I remind Aaron that when I cut his nails, he usually gets impatient or grouchy……………so why does he want to pay money to someone to do what I do at home and pay for something that makes him grouchy? 

It doesn’t register.  He still would love to experience the nail salon.

Yesterday he had his annual eye exam, and then after our Pizza Hut all-you-can-eat lunch buffet……….where I had to put a stop to all that Aaron could eat……………he and I stopped at Wal-Mart for a few items.  In the check-out line he asked his usual question.  “Mom, can I go sit on that bench and wait while you check out?” 

I said yes, with my usual reminders to him……………don’t run, Aaron; please don’t clap while you’re sitting there; don’t make any weird noises; and stay right there until I come. 

I unloaded the cart and took care of paying, etc.  When I pushed the cart away and looked toward the bench…………..there was no Aaron.  Then I saw him – standing in the doorway of the nail salon.  My dear somewhat big and somewhat unusual Aaron, just standing in the doorway observing all the action of the intriguing nail salon.  I could only imagine what the employees and the patrons thought of this man standing there just watching them. 

I rescued the women from this uncomfortable situation and Aaron chattered on the way to the van about how he likes the nail salon and why can’t he get his nails done, etc., etc.

At supper Aaron was excited to tell Gary about his little escapade and how he nearly entered the forbidden salon.  “Dad, while Mom paid at Wal-Mart, I stood in the door of that nail place!” 

And what did you do, Aaron?  “Well, I read the sign that gave the prices.  And then one of those nail-filer ladies asked me if she could help me.” 

And there it was – another of Aaron’s priceless descriptions of people.  A nail-filer lady.  Don’t you just love it?  Gary turned his head away so Aaron wouldn’t see his smile, and he and I stifled our desire to laugh loudly.  Aaron went on to describe how the nail-filer lady took the woman’s finger and filed it, and used a little drill to buff it.  He was fascinated even more by what he saw and is more sure than ever that he needs to experience whatever it is that those “nail-filer ladies” are doing in there. 

And I’m sure that I will never be classified as a prestigious “nail-filer lady.”  I’m just annoying Mom who makes him pause in his day to have his nails cut.  Maybe if I bought a little drill?