By Cathy Jameson

My husband and I got to go out last weekend.  Asked to be a special guest at a dinner about an hour away, I was able to accompany him for a fun night out.  While we were away, one of our trusted caregivers spent the evening with Ronan and one of his younger sisters.  Right before we sat down for dinner, I texted, “Hey, this is way fancier than we expected.  I’m going to put my phone down.  If you need us, call, don’t text.  I won’t hear the alerts for texts, but I’ll pick up if you call.”

Things back at home were good, so I didn’t need to worry about getting any texts or calls.  Ronan was doing his usual activities, which usually keeps him happy and settled.  Maybe it was that he saw us leave and was sad that we didn’t take him, but Ronan decided to be a little bit of a pickle for our helper.  When it was time for him to take the seizure meds, Ronan looked at them and then he knocked them on the floor.  Much like a cat knocks something over just to knock it over, that’s exactly what Ronan did.

One

pill

at

a

time. 

Each time he knocked one down, our helper put it back on the counter.  Without skipping a beat, our helper said, “Oh, let me get that for you,” as she picked them up off the floor.

What a pickle he was being!

He’s starting to be more of a pickle other times, too.  I don’t usually support that kind of behavior, but Ronan’s being more interactive with the siblings, and I loved that!

Don’t get me wrong, we’re teaching Ronan to be kinder, but it’s impressive that he can be a pickle by choice.  Take his youngest sister’s latest frustration.  I made a baby blanket when I was pregnant with my firstborn that matched a crib bumper that I also made.  When they were all younger, my other children had gotten to use the blanket.  It had been put in the linen closet for years until sometime last summer.  I must have been sorting through the closet when Ronan’s youngest sister asked to keep it on her bed.  Sure!  It’s a really sweet blanket with really beautiful memories for me.  Well, Ronan saw it, too, and it was war.

He remembered it and wanted it.

She found it and wanted it.

I watched to see what would happen next.

One day the blanket would be on his bed.

Another day it would be back on her bed.

When he takes it from her room, he hustles to his room and tries to hide it with his bed covers.

When she discovers it missing, she finds it and then hides the blanket back in her room.

The back-and-forth typical sibling antics make me smile.  It takes forethought, strategy, and effort to be a pill!  In instances like that, I will quickly console the typical sibling that’s been annoyed, but I’ll also secretly cheer for Ronan for getting more involved in the kids’ world.

Another time Ronan got caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to was with Willem during Christmas vacation.  While home from college, I asked my younger son to watch my older son when I went to work one day.  More than able to be a caregiver for me, I still prepped everything the boys would need for the day.  That included meals and extra snacks.  My kids love snacks, including Ronan, so I made an extra bowl of cereal that he likes. 

But Ronan didn’t want the gluten-free cereal I left for him.  He wanted the tastier one the kids had.  So, while Willem went to the garage to grab something, Ronan quickly got the other cereal box, opened the box, and reached into the box.  Hearing his little brother round the corner back into the kitchen, Ronan took his hand out of the box, put the box down and stood as still as still could be – then he quickly opened the drawer where we keep the bowls and took out one, two, three, four bowls and waited to see what would happen next.  Next, came peals of laughter.

Okay, bud!  We know you’re hungry; just ask for help, and we’ll be right there to help you.

We’re always ready to help, even when he’s being a pickle.