Friday, March 29, 2013

Easter? No thanks.

I'm all for celebrating spring and rebirth. You see, we are atheist and follow science, not a religion. Most of our extended family is christian. Specifically old school German Lutheran. In fact my mother planned for me to be a Lutheran school teacher and I would marry a Lutheran pastor. Missouri Synod only, not those hippy new age Lutherans. Let's just say that didn't happen.

So here we are celebrating the singing of the birds, new plants budding, and warmer weather when the question comes up. "Are you bringing the kids to church?" I have so many answers, but most of the time I just say "No, you know how Korbin is in strange places and crowds." What I want to say is "My sons are free thinkers. I'd rather not expose them to the biggest brainwashing day of the year, where candy is handed out for believing a story about a zombie."

We have taken the kids a few times. It took weeks to recover. As they passed around the offering plate I handed Korbin a couple of quarters and told him to put them in the tray. We do teach giving. Mr. Literal looked at me like I had three eyes and loudly announced "I don't want to PAY to be here!" All my Grandmothers friends gasp. I giggled and told him "Me neither" as we sent the plate on it's way.

Aidan was going through a paranoid phase, so the talk of an omnipotent being left him laying awake at night fearing someone watching him in his sleep. He still questions why people would teach such a scary thing. It's a more scary idea than Hansel and Gretel.

Religion aside we're facing a holiday with much candy, loaded with red dye #40, Korbin's kryptonite. We've always been super careful and Korbin frequently double checks. So far we haven't had to pull out the ever present Epi-Pen. Not that obese folks have any business scarfing candy. Then there's the big family meal to celebrate another holiday that we don't celebrate. "Everyone stand in a circle to hold hands and pray!" I love the family togetherness. Korbin's remarks at the end of prayers are another highlight. The day he growled "I'm not christian" directly after "Amen" was passed off as defiance. I doubt they'll ever understand why we don't believe the same things they do. I'll settle for a compromise of "live and let live". I don't confront them about how much cash they pour into an organization that doesn't even have to pay taxes. Just back away from the parents teaching facts instead of fiction. Please.

Yes, I'm rambling. Honestly I'm tired and cranky. Since Korbin came home 4 days ago sleep has been sporadic. The change in medicine seems to have helped with the side effects trouble, but he's still a roller coaster of emotion. One minute he's calm and happy, the next I'm trying to de-escalate a rage. We do our best to keep him on some sort of schedule. Unfortunately our schedule has to flow around his mood swings and sleep schedule. Aidan has a friend over tonight who also has autism. I made sure to keep the lights low and noises calm for the last few hours in hopes of them all getting to sleep before 2am. We'll keep tomorrow's stimulation to a minimum in hopes that it gives Korbin the best chance for a good day with the extended family on Sunday. Religion, autism, and psychosis aside, it will be a beautiful day to hang out with the people we love... and maybe sneak in a nap.

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