Growing up.....adventures with the phone

The phone rings right after dinner. My husband (let's call him happy guy) and I are still cleaning our plates from my first meal ever that was truly good. I am no cook. Anyway, C gets the phone and begins saying hello, hello, helllllllo. It is at this moment we realize she has never had an interest in the phone and has NO IDEA how to work it.

I have her dial Happy guy's number. A number that it would take us a long time to memorize, but it was going to be her first call. It should be to no one else other than her best pal. She calls and says hello way before he picks up. She learns to hang up and then she calls mommy. The  number she does know from a snappy tune we taught her years ago. We chat about inconsequential things to me, but I finally got the idea. Teach her safety....while talking to her on the phone. Mommy is feeling proud of C and her own good idea.

Dad then has the idea to call someone else. Memere (grandma) it is. What a shock for them! So much for homework. This life lesson is more important. A call, from beginning to end, was the lesson of the night. She passed with flying colors.

I am so proud of her.  What other may say is no big deal, I marvel at as a huge milestone. One where she shows interest. One where she learned a process. One where she learned she can talk to her loved ones on her time schedule, not mommy's or daddy's.

I am in awe. My daughter is growing up. I am clueless about growing up with autism and loving life as it is handed to us.  One day at a time.