Fight club

It’s hard to remember but Jeff and I did have quite a few fights before Alex came along. And we’ve had a few fights concerning Ned (”You yelled too loud at him!” “He has to learn not to do that!”). But it does seem that most of our arguments stem from autism.

Photo courtesy of Elsie esq. (flickr.com)

The other night, Alex was wilder than usual. Running around, screaming and laughing, chattering. After about 20 minutes I went to him to see if I could get him to calm down. I brought a scented candle, but just as I was about to bring it closer to his nose, I noticed a gap between teeth on the lower left side. He’s lost a tooth! I thought. A permanent tooth! Deep despair and misery followed instantly. I called to Jeff to come over right away, and he did.

Despite using the Water-pik and helping him brush (as much as he will let us — he’s very insistent that he do certain things himself) I imagined a long, sad adulthood for Alex with at least one missing tooth. An implant seemed expensive and unlikely.

Jeff pointed out that it was probably a babytooth. “But he has all his permanent teeth!” I said. Jeff countered that his development is so slow, it’s more than likely NOT permanent. “That has nothing to do with it!” I fired back.

Some fireworks ensued, with angry words and perhaps a slammed door. Did I go into the bedroom and shut the door and cry for a while?

(to be continued…)