Where Art Thou, Inside Voice?

Strange evening around here. Henry fell asleep at 5PM today for what I thought would be a brief nap. But when I tried to wake him after a half an hour, and again at an hour, it was apparent he was down for the count. It is now 7:38PM and he is still asleep. The house is so quiet, it feels like Henry has gone off somewhere (dinner date? a drink at the club?), leaving me here to wonder if this will come back to bite me in the ass in the form of a 3AM wake-up call. Lately the only time Henry is quiet is when he is fast asleep.

He is going through some phase wherein he spends a large part of his day screeching at a register high enough to make the window glass shudder. Please, please let it be a phase as in fleeting, temporary, brief -- like spring! or acute intestinal gas. I find myself hollering, "HENRY, THAT'S TOO LOUD!" It seems the irony of my reaction is not lost on the little guy, who smirks at me from across the room and then emits a squeal that sends the cranial fluid coursing out my ears.

Which brings to mind a question: it is the autism, or is it Age Three? Surely there are parents out there (speak up!) who will join me in asking that Age Three be listed in the next revision of the DSM.

I've been assured that the sudden loud outbursts, the increased energy level, the more demanding behavior is a sign of developmental progress, and believe me -- this makes me happy. He's talking a lot more. He's asking more of us. He's wanting to spend less time by himself. I just wish he was doing it with a little less volume, with a slightly lower pitch, and in a frequency range that does not attract bats.

Comments

[mom-nos]

I hate to say this, what with you having a three-year-old and all, but I've actually always found four-year-olds to be some of the most disagreeable people on the planet. Sorry...

[Shawn]

We are always asking ourselves the same question.

First it was, "Is this autism or being 3". Then it was "Is this autism or being 4". Now it is "Is this autism or being 5". Sure wish I could be of more help!!!