Conversations: The thingamabob and the whatchamacalit

My ten year old likes to fancy himself as the family activity planner. He'll say we are going to do something and then he expects to do it that very day. His ideas vary from going swimming at the local university recreation center (we don't have a pass and it's expensive to go!) or to his favorite restaurant.

Most of the time my husband and I prefer to to do the activity planning. Often we'll discuss plans after both boys have gone to sleep. However, that is not always possible. It used to be that we were able to spell out our ideas to each other. But now, our third grader can read and spell pretty well. He proved it one day when he said he wanted to go to "S-u-b-w-a-y" for dinner. See? He can spell his favorite place to eat, so that is not an option anymore. So the next step was to try to talk in a way that we (or at least I) thought was beyond him.

We try to mix up our restaurants a bit when we go out. But every once in awhile we decide to go to Subway. The quick service of fast food restaurants make eating out easier with my son with ASD and fortunately his favorite place is one of the healthiest places to eat. One day when we were trying to figure out our plans with little ears around us, I suggested this very place without using the word.

"We should get a thingamabob at the whatchamacalit," I said.

Somehow my husband understood that I meant our son's favorite place and agreed that is where we would go. So we did.

A few weeks later my son asserted himself (well tried to anyway) as the family activity planner again. What did he say?

"We should get a thingamabob at the whatchamacalit! And I know what that is," he said.

"What is it?" I said, having a hunch what he would say.

"It's a sub at Subway! That's S-u-b-w-a-y."

That pretty much sums it up. My days of subterfuge are pretty much over!