Autism is Bad for Cell Phones

Let me be more specific--autistic three- and four-year-olds are bad for cell phones. This past summer, I had to replace my cell phone because Wilder had chewed it so often it finally wouldn't stay on for more than a few minutes. The battery case had a large dent and the charger connector had turned green from the corrosion. So we learned our lesson about letting Wilder play with the cell phone. But that's not all! This morning, as I began my daily schlep getting the children into the car to take them to day care, I discovered that I had buried my car keys under the cell phone and my grocery list. I had Cassie in one arm and the diaper bag on the other, so I put the cell phone and the grocery list on the hood of the car and got the keys out. I put Cassie in her car seat, looked at the cell phone, and thought to myself, "I have to make sure to get that off the car." I finished strapping Cassie in, turned back toward the front of the car, and saw Wilder run out of the house onto the snow with no coat and no shoes. (Yes, I had put his shoes on once, but that means nothing to the boy who would rather be barefoot.) At that point, I forgot entirely about the cell phone, and I didn't remember it again until I had driven several miles. I wish the cell phone well, because I do not believe I will ever see it again.