My Son Thinks I Have a "Refresh" Button

Okay, my son doesn't actually know what a "refresh" button is. But the way he asks me the same question, over and over, as though one time he might get some sort of update, makes me feel like I have one of those curved arrows on my head.

You know how you hit that little reload symbol over and over, when you're hoping for new content or a distraction or just reassurance that nothing's changed? Same way, if you're me anyway, you hit the "New Mail" button repeatedly. Or check your RSS feeds, or your Twitters, sometimes with serious intent, sometimes just because going through a lengthy series of re-checks kills time, after which you can re-check again.

That's what my son does with me, asking what his friend is doing, maybe three times in a row, maybe at ten minute intervals. I have no new information for him; I have no information, and just make stuff up. I've tried sticking to the same answer, or changing the answer frequently, or making up ridiculous answers. Doesn't matter. He still checks in regularly, as surely as if he was clicking a mouse at me.

It's hard not to get annoyed by it, but if he's really just got that refresh impulse, I guess I can be understanding. Makes me wonder, though, whether my computer sighs in exasperation every time I hit those update buttons, and wants to scream, There is nothing new! Find something to do!

Read more: Special Needs News | Use Your Child's Obsessions for Good | The ABCs of Behavior Management