Everybody Off
Griffin’s elevator obsession is odd, but, thanks to the internet, I am confident he is not alone. Hundreds of people video themselves riding elevators and thousands (like Griffin) follow them on You Tube like 1 Direction fans. Captain Elevator, Diesel Ducey, and others religiously post their elevator adventures and kids around the world watch repeatedly. Over and over again. Repeatedly. Over and over and over and over and over again.
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While I knew there were a bunch of kids (and adults?) on-line who shared Griffin’s “hobby”, I had long wished there was one nearby so Griff could have a friend who shared his interest. Maybe even have a play-date where they surf the web looking for videos of the elevator in the Engineering Building at University of Texas – Austin Campus.
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Little did we know that such a potential friend exists in our own neighborhood. During a conversation out back where the parents of the special needs kids used to congregate to wait for early release, Mrs. Big Daddy discovered that a boy, we’ll call him Kevin, who had been in Griffin’s grade and many of his therapies for years, was also a huge elevator aficionado. He liked many of the same You Tube posters and enjoyed riding real elevators with his family on the weekends. Bingo!
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Mrs. Big Daddy and Kevin’s dad conspired, on the spot, to tell the boys the news and watch as they broke into an avid Captain Elevator conversation much like “typical” boys would carry on if they found out they each loved Ironman or Thor. As soon as the boys emerged from school, the respective parents shared the exciting news and nudged the boys together.
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Neither boy could care less. I don’t think Kevin said a word and Griffin looked off into the parking lot as he gave a half-hearted, “Hi.” After about ten minutes of the boys standing next to each other without so much as acknowledging the other’s existence, the experiment was aborted. We tried several more times over the next few weeks. Nothing.
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When Griffin got home after the first interaction, he went straight to his room to check if Captain Elevator had posted any new videos. I suppose, less than three miles away, Kevin did much the same.
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© 2013, Big Daddy. All rights reserved.
Papa Bear
January 11th, 2013 at 11:04 pm #
Hard to predict. They aren’t interested in talking to each other about elevators. Might they enjoy riding elevators together? I mean, they may or may not be oblivious to each other’s existence, but they might still enjoy the elevator ride with (or despite) the other’s presence, so the trip might not be a total loss.
Mama Bear says that when I engage in an activity with other people, I don’t engage with them in an activity; I engage in the activity, and they engage in the same activity nearby while we are only vaguely aware of each other’s presence, and that is enough. She calls it “parallel play” and says it is a stage in social development most kids go through at about ages 3-5. I call it the least unpleasant form of socialization.
Big Daddy
January 12th, 2013 at 12:02 am #
@Papa Bear: I also parallel play as it is the only way I can tolerate socialization. More often, I pull a Griffin and refuse to even acknowledge anyone else’s existence. Except if they have food or money for me, of course.
scot butwell
January 14th, 2013 at 6:31 pm #
Big Daddy, I have had similar experiences with helping my son make friends. In fact, I work with a guy with a son same age as me…we share two classrooms as teachers and I’m always thinking about getting my son and his together to play. But my concern is whether my son would authentically be interested in the other kid. I guess there is a magical connection that happens with kids (on and off the spectrum) and adults in making friends. I struggle with providing time with other kids and letting him have autonomy over his relationships. He’s five…
Sanstrousers
January 14th, 2013 at 8:03 pm #
I don’t know what to say. I would have been disappointed, but that’s maybe just me.
Big Daddy
January 14th, 2013 at 9:09 pm #
@scot and @Sanstrousers: Not disappointed. Griffin is 15 and really doesn’t want friends in the traditional way. He likes saying “hi” to people and then he’s had enough. Not surprised by this interaction. Just thought it funny that they’ve known each other for like 10 years and never mentioned their mutual obsession to us or each other.