tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9740976.post4249163123557485792..comments2023-10-12T08:43:12.940+00:00Comments on Janey Godley's Blog: I don’t know stuffAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03568430106911598373noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9740976.post-26331995753878684482010-10-05T02:48:01.580+00:002010-10-05T02:48:01.580+00:00My Dad has Aspergers. I mean, it hasn't been d...My Dad has Aspergers. I mean, it hasn't been diagnosed or anything (he's 85 and doesn't go for any of that therapy crap), but from everything I've read, he fits the description. Of course, growing up in the 60's and 70's, we had no clue, but we knew he was weird. And not weird in a slightly lovable eccentric kind of way, but in a frustrating and maddening kind of way. For example, he constantly repeats the same joke phrases over and over again several times a day, each time expecting us all to fall about ourselves laughing, except by now we've heard them daily for 50 years. He also has odd reactions to some physical sensations. The smell of mustard drives him practically to violence; we never could put prepared mustard out on the kitchen table. When everyone around the dinner table is enjoying a fine side dish of fried potatoes, he's complaining that it tastes like diesel fuel.<br /><br />My mother finally figured this out about him from watching Dr. Phil (on American TV). But even so, he drives her nuts, since diabetes and old age has made him meaner. Now that I know this about him, I can cut him more slack, but still, his inability to read social cues, or interact with people in socially acceptable ways requires for me to take frequent relief breaks from his company. I don't know how my mother has lived with him for over 50 years.<br /><br />My brother has a boss with Aspergers. Through interacting with him, he's been able to help me gain further insight into this condition. Of course, all the insight in the world still can't instill the patience one needs daily. I know my Dad loves us, and we love him too, but sometimes he's impossible to like.<br /><br />Lest you think we had a miserable childhood, our dad could also do some really cool stuff. He was a mathematical genius, an engineer, and loved science. He helped us all have killer science projects in school. One year he and my brother built a small still for a project, and then used it to make plum brandy out of the plums from trees in our backyard. He was also on the cutting edge of technical stuff, and we had things like a hifi stereo system and calculators, and computers, long before anyone else we knew.<br /><br />I wrote this only to say I think I understand your frustration, not to say I have any answers for it. The affection you and your husband have for each other shines through both in your book, and in your blog posts. That, and your sense of humor, will pull you through in the long run.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com