Going to the mall

[Homeschoolmom99]

Yesterday our son said he wanted to go to the mall by himself he is 13 now I tried telling him he was not ready but he thought we thought he was stupid. I went over the bus route and my wife and I decided to go with him BUT we would let him pay for the bus and figure out what to do we would simply observe him. Just walking out the driveway he started to go left not right, we made it to the downtown bus depot and as much as I wanted to show him what to do my wife and I held fast and watched him look around for a bit confused but then he got it we watched him get on the bus and use his pass and sit away from us he is after all a teen now

We got to the mall our mall here is not all that big really a problem since so many are in the mall and it feels crowded but we had stuck a deal he would have spending cash and four hours to be in the mall alone his dad really had thought he could do this alone with just a cell phone we however spend more then eight hours with him a week and know better. We stopped for coffee got him one and gave him money he wanted to go get a wallet so off he went. We saw him in the food court and since he had not responded to my text about when to meet his step-mom told him when and where to meet. Two hours went by I was in a shoe store my wife sent a text he was in a game store clearly from the text he was melting. So we asked did he want to go with us to the movies. He said yes when we met him he was almost in full meltdown mode my wife ever the other real mom knew to make a joke and get his mind off of his problems.
We all went to a movie and while he only did two hours I am glad that we had the sense to go along I feel those two hours where a huge step toward full independence one day.

[dmsfr]

Congrats on a scary job well done. You handled this perfectly. I don't know if I could do it!  

Thanks for sharing this. You are right, this is a huge step for all of you.

[Homeschoolmom99]

I was a mess for those two hours! My ex has no clue how Anthony is! He spends a grand total of 8 hours a week with him we spend the rest he had such a look of fear on his face at the bus depot but we let it go. I could he see in his face when we found him that he was melting faster then ice cream in the sun! My wife unlike his father has read everything she can on autism/asperger's since she has a wife AND a son with those she knows when we are melting when we are HALTING when enough is enough. She knew two hours would be his limit that is why she sent the text

Quoting dmsfr:

Congrats on a scary job well done. You handled this perfectly. I don't know if I could do it!  

Thanks for sharing this. You are right, this is a huge step for all of you.