First I need to start by saying, I'm posting this from my phone, as a test.

We've had such a rough few days lately that we are all rattling our brains to figure out the cause of the eradic behaviors, aside from puberty that is.

Jake has been leading the force by asking a thousand questions about his autism, behavior and inability to concentrate.

This afternoon he told me he didn't want to fight at supper time anymore. He's right, most of our fights happen at the end of the day.

He said he thinks that he can't handle staying awake so long in a day. He added he needed to rest his body so he grows and learns.

I mentioned that it really doesn't matter what time his friends go to bed because all bodies are different. He admitted he likes it much better when he's rested and can "deal better".

Case closed: the three things we all need to be happy in Jake's world are sleep, food and love.

We've been venturing out to ride bikes nearly every weekend and with each bike ride comes a series of lasting life lessons for Jake.  


Not just how to balance and turn or avoid rocks and gullies but real life navigation skills. 

If you ride bikes on trails or pathways where there are pedestrians, you've more than likely heard or used the phrase "on your left" as bikers are passing you from behind. 

Jake has picked up this phrase and uses it for all occasions. He'll ring the bell to warn walkers that we're coming and yell "on your left" as we pass... he even rings the bell and screams "on your left" as oncoming bicyclists pass us.  Most burst out laughing, some shake their heads, I just smile and wave.

I tried to explain to him, repeatedly, that he doesn't need to scream "on your left" to approaching riders who can clearly see us, so instead he started yelling "on your right!"   Well that's just plain wrong. HA!  The first time, I actually had to stop my bike in the grass and laugh. Well that just reinforced the behavior.

On our most recent ride, with Chris, Jake started saying in his lowest, smoothest voice ever, "your destination is on your right". So what, now he's a GPS system and psychic?  Some bikers were really confused, most just brushed him off. 

These kids crave constant guidance and redirection, don't ever stop encouraging and coaching in all situations.  The lessons learned behind two handlebars will last a lifetime.  

I can only imagine what Jake is gleening from all this:
It's okay to sneak up on people if you swerve around and scream at them.

Life's pathway is lined with bumps, roots, rocks and people to navigate around and some will knock you off balance. 

The faster you go the better, just keep your mouth shut to avoid bugs.

Cheers!!