Ishka Bishka Bibbity Bobbity Boo

Ishka falls asleep during devotions in the gazebo - photo by Dandy Romain

Ishka, or Nikenson, or Markenson, depending on who you ask, is our sweet little, almost 5 yo (this month) High functioning Autistic. We don't have a formal diagnosis, but ten again, that's a first world thing...here, we just make do with his quirks and attempt to help him pass his days in as gentle a way as possible. 

He's always smiling, until he's not! Usually the smile cessation involves either someone taking a favorite toy, or cutting in line, or getting too much of my attention. But he's usually pretty easy to console, provided you give him a good hugging and some individual attention. 

He's a pretty happy kid for the most part. He has an almost unwavering love for me. And on those occasions when he thinks I have perpetrated some offense, I can usually cajole him back into my arms with a little tickling and some farty kisses. 

Last week he finally couldn't get into his tennies another day. He is growing by leaps and bounds and has suddenly sprouted a few extra inches in height and possibly foot length! SO I got him a "new" pair of shoes from the depot (thank you again Rebecca Strobel and http://www.cityofnewbaltimore.org/recreation.asp ) and brought them out to him. I got him in the new shoes and tied up and off he headed for PE. 

As soon as they were done, he came back to the gazebo to change into his sandals and told me I was not nice and he didn't love me any more. I asked whatever did I do and he said his new shoes hurt his feet. Well, I walked right over and inserted my fingers every which way to see if there was something sticking in his foot, or some bump or knot in the material that was making him uncomfortable. I checked his little feet for marks of an impression and couldn't even see a red spot or anything. I asked him if he was sure they were hurting him and he insisted they were. 

I figured we'd let a week go by and see what happens. Maybe he would forget they hurt his feet. Stranger things have happened!

So, fast forward to yesterday, PE day, and sure enough, as I put his shoes on them he began to tell me that they hurt his feet. So I asked him a few preschool teacher questions designed to get to the bottom of this situation. What I surmise is that the soles of these shoes are very heavy to him. Much more so than say, his cheap dollar store sandals. So I explained to him that these were special super hero training shoes, meant to make him grow big muscles in his legs so that he can run faster than a speeding bullet. I asked him to show me how fast he can run in these super hero trainers. He ran to the outside wall and back and said, "wow, Miss Michele, they are good!"

Crisis averted. Love restored. All in a days work for a preschool teacher! 

Ishka's 4th birthday, 30 August, 2011