The Year He Was Indiana Jones for Halloween
The Scene: Interior of suburban family home. A mother is cleaning out the closet in her office. Storage boxes – some opened, some closed – surround her where she is seated cross-legged on the floor. She holds several papers in her hand and emits a chuckle as she reads things that her autistic son has said over the years. He started putting two words together at age five and gradually, with time and therapy, increased. She marvels at his progression from “Green is in the finger,” said at age 6 when he noticed green paint under his fingernails, to “If it gets too cold or too warm, then I would call out for you,” said at age 10 while his bathwater was running. But his lifelong interest in geography and history produced some of his most memorable quotations. The mother laughs as she discovers her scribbled notes from when her son wondered, at age 8, “Does Canada speak Leafish?” as well as the following discussion that took place three years ago, at age 12:
Son: Would it be offensive if I was Adolf Hitler for Halloween?
Mother: Probably to some people.
Son: What about Japanese Naval General Isoroku Yamamoto?
Mother: The one who bombed Pearl Harbor?!
Son [pauses, considering]: Mussolini?
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14 Responses to “The Year He Was Indiana Jones for Halloween”
March 17th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Perspectives and personal agenda’s – I’ve been tackling a book review for some while now because I know that our children have a different perspective about things than the main stream – still not quite figured out how to present a particular perspective in a manner that’s acceptable / comprehensible to the public in general.
Good luck with that one!
March 17th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Lol!!
March 17th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Lol!! I love how he thinks this stuff through. I’m thinking Indy was a good choice!!
March 18th, 2010 at 6:16 am
This is a coversation Nigel could have with Elmer.
March 18th, 2010 at 8:47 am
OMHOG! BTW, I cleaned out my A files the other day and thought of you. Brutal.
March 18th, 2010 at 11:45 am
*snort* I bet you just love finding those little gems from the past! I know I’ll feel that way when I look back 10 years from now!
March 18th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Tanya,
Give Nigel a salute from me! I’m a major history and geography buff.
For example, when given a penny and asked to make a speech about it on the spot, I talked about Abraham Lincoln and (U.S. Civil War) General William Tecumseh Sherman’s “March to the Sea” in the fall of 1864, and how it finally gave hope to the United States that the war to preserve the Union and end slavery – the bloodiest and most destructive war ever for Americans – could finally be won.
I like Nigel’s ideas about costumes (he does realize that “Naval General” means Admiral, right?). I dressed up as Joseph Stalin for a high school Halloween bash (back in the 80s, and I wanted to raise awarenes sof the Soviet threat).
No one knew who the heck I was supposed to be, but a picture wound up in the yearbook. (No, we didn’t have many Russian or other Soviet nationality students there then.)
As for Yamamoto or Mussolini, I suspect Nigel would meet the same kind of lack of comprehension. On the other hand, if he ever moves south of the Mason-Dixon line, he should seriously think twice about dressing up as General Sherman. Having lived for years in Virginia, I can tell him that Southerners really do continue to care about these things.
Have a great weekend, Tanya!
Jeff Deutsch
March 18th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I’m impressed that he asked if it would be offensive! Well done Nigel!
Good luck with the Rispradol (previous post)
xx jazzy
March 19th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
what can nigel say, he loves history. since he’s into geography as well, maybe you can push him in that direction. he could be the marianas trench or the san andreas fault. an isthmus. all sorts of possibilities. my favorite is still his bruce campbell “ash” costume, he gets infinite bonus points for that one.
March 19th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
M – Nigel loves the Mariana Trench! He first asked me about it when he was 9. He had only been talking for a little over three years at that point. Blew. me. away.
March 20th, 2010 at 6:01 am
Love the progression and the quotes pulled from years back. They’re great!
So, what was he for Halloween that year after all??
March 23rd, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Oh boy. Does he know I dressed up as Fidel Castro one Halloween?
May 20th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Fidel Castro would always be an icon of history evethough he is against the U.S.’*.
July 19th, 2010 at 2:07 am
Fidel Castro still have some good legacies despite his not so good repuation.–~
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