There are not words to adequately describe the panic, pride, fear and confusion I am feeling as we prepare to drive our oldest son off to away-from-home college for the first time. He's got 40+ college credits under his belt, but the whole living away at school thing is going to be a tough transition.
J has Asperger's and he likes to pretend that he's just a normal guy. It's the elephant in the room, and he doesn't like to admit that he has any differences. I am very concerned for him, as he doesn't seem to understand the importance of throwing his body a veggie once in a while, or making small talk with people you see daily. There are so many little things that his Dad and I do for him at home, that he will now have to be responsible for himself. This is a kid who (aside to my friend the dentist, you'll love this!) "forgot" to brush his teeth for two entire weeks, and who thinks it is fine to live on burgers and pizza alone. He also tends to overfocus on computer games and isolate himself from real-world interactions. Gosh, I make him sound like a train wreck! Actually, he has a lot of positive qualities too, but I'm just stressing out about potential problems right now.
Augh! I'm hoping I can look back on this version of myself later and laugh.
Lorel
