Growing up with Asperger's

Today is September 15th - his 16th birthday. It's hard to believe that my son is 16 years old today. He's an amazing young man and I'm so proud of him.

He started his day like all the rest with a shower, toast and cheese, a cup of tea and a quick check of the weather and financial markets.
He found his "Thursday shirt" and got dressed, put on his shoes and then to my great surprise, asked to stay home from school. I said, "No" - I mean, what would that sort of disruption do to his schedule and ultimately to his routine? They would be annihilated and he would be stressed and unhappy. I don't think he actually wanted me to say "Yes."
When I offered him a ride to school he said that he likes his routine of taking the bus and that it's important to him to stick to what he does everyday.

He is happy today. He received a bunch of 'Happy Birthday"'s on his Facebook page all viewed on his new laptop which means he has a new to play with.

Tonight - he will need a comfortable dinner (no sauces or mixed up foods), vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and some time alone to do his homework. This is his routine. Special days mean this has to happen even more than on ordinary days because he's anticipated them more. Doing something out of the ordinary is easier for him to accept when he hasn't considered his day yet - if it's just any old day.

I would have thought that like most teenagers he would be driving by now, but he's not really interested in it. His exact words were, "I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Can I wait?" Of course I told him that there is no law that states that anybody must learn how to drive. I explained that he can wait as long as he wants to, btu that eventually, it would become necessary so that he could go to and from a job or school.

Even so, can you believe it? How many other 16 year-olds have the self-awareness to realize that they aren't ready to deal with the randomness  and unpredictability of other drivers, the chaos of traffic and the multi-tasking skills required to navigate city streets full of bikes, cars, buses, pedestrians and the like? I'm not ready on most days. The fact that he realizes that he's not ready to deal with this at his age is so amazing to me. I'm sure that part of his reluctance has to do with simple fear of the unknown. But another big part is that he is looking at the larger picture.

He understands so much more than some kids his age do - as well as a few grown-ups I've met.