Monday, January 6, 2014

The 'I Have to Know' Syndrome

Happy New Year..2014 is going to be a stupendous year. I just know it. I believe God has great plans for the 'Not Different Enough' book and for the distributing of it. It should be published by early February.
I had to put that paragraph in there because I am writing about Kalisha's need to know where, when, how, and with whom, mentality. I also would like to know exactly when the publisher will send me the copy to approve, I want to know when my friend will have the foreword written, I want to know when I can start setting dates for library signings......but, I have a bit of patience
Most of the time, I am used to Kalisha's obsession with having to know details and can head off her plans to find the answers to her questions; however, she gets ahead of me once in a while and it gets her in all sorts of trouble.
She volunteers in a kindergarten class at one of the Lutheran schools in Fort Wayne, every Tuesday morning. A community staff person from Bethesda Lutheran Communities picks her up, stays with her at her volunteering and then delivers her back home.
Over the past several days, our area has been hit with a huge amount of snow ( 12+ inches) and some blowing and drifting.
The temperatures are also well below zero. Kalisha personally knows one of the kindergarten students and her parents, so she texted the parent on SUNDAY already and asked if she thought there would be school on Tuesday.
I explained that the decision to cancel or delay school is not determined by any parent, teacher, custodian or other school personnel. The decision is made by the superintendent and the transportation department. She told me she understood.
Then she called her staff person and asked if she thought the kids would go out for recess if it was below zero. (She accompanies them to the playground; hence, the need to know) Her staff talked about the roads and the impassibility and told her they wouldn't be able to go if she couldn't drive on the streets. Kalisha took that as a 'for sure' kind of proclamation and immediately called the Bethesda supervisor to say she wouldn't be able to volunteer on Tuesday.
That got her in all kinds of trouble...with ME. I really tried to explain, again, how that is not her job to make those calls or those decisions. She agreed and was sorry.
Today she sent a text to the kindergarten teacher to let her know she would not be there on Tuesday. When I became exasperated with saying the same thing, over and over, she said, "Well, I thought volunteering was supposed to get me ready for having a real job and if this was a real job, I would have to let my boss know I wasn't coming in."
To which I replied, "That is true; however, at this point in time, this is not your responsibility."
I'm not always certain which disability label this falls under. I'm pretty sure it is the autism; 'control and all my ducks in a row' thing. She called the city bus company to see if the busses would be running even though she had no plans of going out in this weather. (They weren't) She checks the latest announcements and closings on her phone. By the way, the schools are all closed again tomorrow. The mall is closed, too. How do I know that? Kalisha told me.

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