How The Grinch Nearly Stole Christmas

  
   There is a fine line between an interest and obsession and the Holiday season I forgot about this line. For the past few weeks my son has been watching The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and last night while he was watching again the reality hit me, the Grinch could very much steal Christmas if I allowed the movie to play one more time or I could be to late.

   You see typically a five year old can watch a movie on repeat and carry on as usual just enjoying a favorite but my son is not typical and yes, I forget this from time to time. Scripting is when a person acts out scenes from movie, games, etc and often exactly as they watched it. Word for word and can come out any time over and over. It's called scripting but I call it stuck because stuck is exactly what happens to my son. Stuck in a movie and unable to focus on other events of the day. Last night after putting my son to bed I put the Grinch away and good chance I will never play it again. As I have done with a couple of other movies in the past year because it literally steals my child. This morning I learned a hard lesson once again because I allowed him to watch it way to many times and that lesson came in the form of a meltdown. A meltdown like I have not seen in a very long time and during that meltdown he would have moments of catching his breath quoting the Grinch. No, he did not know I put the movie away and no he did not go into a meltdown over anything that had to do with it, he just lost ability to function. This has happened before with The Little Rascals and if I even mention that movie he begins to "script" again, even months later.

   He likes the Grinch but the line was crossed and repeat became obsession. A tricky element with autism or in our home because like is good but knowing when to back off is even better. A person might wonder what happens when I take something like this way. He is a little boy and typically if you take something away a little boy likes he would grow upset but he does not. What happens is he slowly returns and is able to get unstuck, and it takes only a few days for the scripting to stop. Very much like I have done him a favor and he breaks free.

   I can only write about how autism effects my son and they say no two are alike but I have learned through this journey many kids do really share similar traits, habits, and even health circumstances. Somewhere out there in the online world might be a parent who's child has crossed the fine line of like to obsession and the only talking they hear lately is Pixar scenario, over and over again. If one person can read this and it helps, it's completely worth sharing. Merry Christmas and may the meltdowns be few (hopefully not at all) and the blessings be plenty!