Too Loud

Say you have an otherwise adorable, mostly sweet little boy who sometimes decides things are “too loud.” And we’re not talking rock concerts or crowded festivals. We’re talking empty restaurants and bathrooms and bedrooms.

Since you are a worry wart, worst-case scenario type who tends to catastrophize (my new favorite word, thanks grandpa , for the reminder), you immediately start Googling “sensory issues” and “delayed autism” and “behavior modification.”

You email Adorable Boy’s teacher, the same one who let him wear headphones in the lunchroom last week because it was pronounced “too loud” and urge her not to make this headphone thing a habit.

Then she emails you back and says she doesn’t think it’s sensory at all, since Adorable Boy refused to go the bathroom yesterday, declaring it was “too loud.”

I believe this is a behavior issue, said Adorable Boy’s teacher.

I have to say I’m relieved.

Or maybe, it’s as Erin refers to it (and leave it to her to add some much-needed levity to the matter), it’s just Leo being a Little Shi*.

Whatever it is, Leo is certainly keeping us on our toes lately.

All in all, his mood is great. Dare I say, back to his old self, when it comes to the day-to-day? I’ve added fish oil to his daily regimen (after hearing from other DS Moms and reading a few studies claiming that it may improve mood as well as brain function-hey it couldn’t hurt, right?).

But Sunday, after a long, exhausting Saturday that included for Erin, supervising the tiling of a bathroom and for me, hosting an extraordinarily lucrative garage sale (all while both of us supervised the hooligans and made sure they didn't escape with any of the garage sale customers), we decided to celebrate by all going out to brunch, which we rarely do.

As usual, Leo didn’t want to leave the house (who could blame him really, it was a dreary, rainy day and to be fair the poor guy is go-go-go all week at school and after care). He was fine once he got in the car and was fine as he walked hand-in-hand with Erin up to the door of the restaurant and then…he collapsed in the entry way, right next to the hostess stand.

“Too loud,” Leo said, covering his ears.

Keep in mind we were literally the first customers of the day. The only people there were employees.

Twenty minutes later, Leo finally came to the table.

Did you know it’s possible to eat an entire brunch with one hand covering an ear?


It is. Just ask Leo.

So I will add this “Too loud” business to the list of things that Leo does that I just don’t understand. And I will tell myself that it’s ok. I don’t need to “get” everything. But I wish I could help him.

And now I'm off to Google Little Shi* Syndrome.