My son will play with anything. Though you may think that's great given that he's autistic, I must tell you now it's a double edged sword. Not only is it sometimes awkward, it can also be very dangerous.
One of the awkward things are toys meant for girls. A few weeks back we went to Walmart and got a toy for the big guy and the little guy. We like to let them pick the toys out, and I'm sure they like the fact that they get to choose. Ethan wanted a toy that fits on the iPad to play a counting game with a free companion app you can download from the App Store. Logan chose a Bratz tea party set, an absolute girls toy.
Now I'm not one of those guys who think boys shouldn't play with dolls and girls can't build a fort. I think girls and boys can do whatever they want. I have no problem with that. I also don't have a problem going to the register and handing a girl toy to the clerk, and then handing it right over to my son. I couldn't care less what that person thinks, chances are I won't see them again. The awkwardness comes from the fact that we have nothing for him to play with it with.
The tea set is specifically made from very large Bratz dolls, and he doesn't have any. He can try to play with some of his ninja turtles, but it won't work very well. So it kind of sucks knowing I'm paying a few bucks (it was marked down for quick sale) for something he won't really be able to use, at least not in the way it was intended.
He has picked out many "girl" toys before. One had something to do with these little animals that fold up into a ball, and they had their own little play world. He also had a lala loopsie merry go round. I don't care if he wants to play with these things at all, but I think I know why he wants them, because they are fascinating! I look at them and think they are, the tea set was really intricate, the little bear toy worked with magnets and had all these "paths" the bear could go, and the merry-go-round, well, it was a merry-go-round. I'm just excited that he plays with toys because when he was 2 all he would do was turn a wheel on a car over and over, and never push it around like other kids do. He would get so stuck on the wheel it was like he physically could not see the rest of the car. So if he wants a Barbie, who cares!!!! As long as he's playing, and not stuck, I'm good.
The danger comes when he plays with something that is definitely not a toy, like a 12 gallon trash bag, Lysol, bicycle lock, shishors (his word for scissors) or knives. Yes, we have caught our son playing with all these things and more, and we are very lucky he hasn't cut off something he may need when he's older. People who aren't around autistic children don't understand they cannot these types of items to come across their path. As parents we all know we can't give these things to kids because they may hurt themselves or someone else, but by 6 year sold, almost 7, most children develop a common sense about these types of items. Yeah you put these things up when they are young, but we will probably have to keep these things up most of his childhood. By the time your child is ten, these are not things you'll have to worry about, we may worry about these things until he's 14, or older.
Just a few weeks ago he was out in the back yard, swinging something over his head. Momma thought it was a rope, then she got a good look at it and saw it was a bicycle lock. It was one of the ones with the heavy duty beaded wire cord, and pretty hearty lock on the end that could really do some damage if it hit something. My wife had out it in the shed thingy (yeah that's the technical term) and he found it. I can only imagine his thoughts on it "wow, a metal lasso!" and then the fun ensues.
He didn't hit himself, though he could have, because mom got it away from him before he could. I've caught him with knives. One night he ran out of his room and when to the kitchen to get a drink, like he usually does, only when he came back out he had a steak knife, like he'd just cooked a hog in his room and now it was time to eat. We have to hide the scissors high away in a basket thing in the cupboards because he's been able to sneak that past us.
A few times he's had me try and get the knots out of his shoes, and every time he asks me to he says "shishors" and runs into the kitchen to get them. He can't reach them (for now) so I always have to get him to come back to me so I can show him I can untie the knots without scissors. I know what he's thinking, "this is something I can't untie, so I'll get daddy to do it, but he'll need scissors!". I know he means well, but the tools for the job aren't always what he thinks he needs.
I know children can be a handful, that's very evident with Logan and Ethan, but it's something we will always have to be on our toes about with Logan. Ethan will develop a kind of common sense about different items, and how some need to be handled with care. Logan may not develop that for a long time, if ever. Mom and I will always have to keep our wits about us with Logan, especially because he sometimes wakes up at 3 am to start the day. If we don't wake up and tell him he has to go back to sleep, he may go get some scissors or a knife, and decide he needs to use the tools on something. I really don't want to wake up to a child with a missing appendage, I also don't want to wake up to no shoelaces in any of my shoes.
