It’s Beth’s birthday at the end of next month and I have no idea what to get her. I went to the shops yesterday and was looking around. I ended up getting some lovely patterned leggins but I’m going to have to get her to try them on as their exchange time is only two weeks. I bought some smelly shower gels that were on special at the body shop but I don’t know whether it’s worthy of a present. I would ask in places like Typo who said how good they are with teenage presents but there just wasn’t anything suitable. It was so obvious that she just isn’t like so called ‘normal’ teenagers. When Bridie turns 14 I will be able to take her clothes shopping and get her nails and hair done, she’ll like all sorts of weird and wonderful things. Beth would say she wants things but then not know what to do with them. They had nice jewellery holders to hang up on the wall but she doesn’t want her ears pierced and her jewellery just doesn’t last very well. I just didn’t want to tell the shopkeepers my predicament, a) because I don’t want to be the “I have a child with autism” mum and b) because most of them are young and really have no idea what difference it makes anyway. And c) I don’t want to make her sound abnormal, she’s still a teenage girl turning 14. I came home and googled her two favourite shows, Family Guy (highly inappropriate but hilarious) and The Office – the American version. There’s a line in The Office that Beth likes to say over and over again as she downloads the main guy Michael’s scenes. He says “That’s what she said.” For some reason Beth loves it. I found a birthday card which when you open it it says “That’s what she said!” She’ll love it. Or she’ll go off of The Office. Who bloody knows! Anyway, I bought it. I also bought her Stewie pyjamas, the baby character from Family Guy. I made sure they didn’t say anything too rude. I’m also thinking of buying her a Melways. She’s been reading maps at school and when she got a lift to school with a friend a couple of weeks ago, apparently she sat and read her Melways! It’s a good thing to learn. Last year she got a Dictionary which she uses a lot. We’ve got an Atlas, I wonder what other information books I can think of?
I have been writing more social stories lately, I’m thinking of putting a little ebook together. I wrote one for a friend for her son on coping with death and she has kindly written a testimonial for me which I will put onto my social stories page. Any suggestions for stories are welcome, I’m going to do a series of them. I did have the idea of making little cartoon movies, like one we watched many years ago called Tom’s Toilet Triumph. It’s very graphic and works a treat, put that in to You Tube and you’ll see what I mean! I approached the film studio that made it hoping that they’d realise what a discovery they had made in me but alas they don’t do discoveries of up and coming talent but said that yes, they could make it for me for $4000. I think I have to make them as stories first, then get discovered so I don’t have to fork out any money.
