I'd love to take all 3 girls to see Toy Story 3. So would Mr. His Highness. So would Pryncess #1 and Pryncess #3. However, there's a snag in the plans.
Pryncess #2, my darling girl with Autism, absolutely, unequivocally, undoubtedly, most certainly does not want to go. Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are the reasons why she has trouble sleeping in her own bed in her own room at night. She shares a room with her little sister, and while the room is nice and tidy and a minimal as it can be for two little girls, my youngest loves to decorate her bed with dolls and stuffed animals. They have a toy chest. They have, well, toys.
And Grace is scared to death of the thought that her toys might come alive after she falls asleep or leaves the room. We've had to get rid of toys, as in get rid of them completely out of the house, because she thought a particular toy was staring at her. The eyes were "wrong" or the face just wasn't looking at her appropriately. And it all led back to Toy Story.
It took us years to figure that one out. It took us a while to catch on this time as to why she's taken to being scared of her own room again lately. She's afraid of every little noise, even the ones she knows. If she starts the night out in her bed, by the time 3:30 am rolls around she's shaking like a leaf and sleeping in my bed with me. It all started around the time the trailers for Toy Story 3 came out. It was confirmed when my husband started asking if I thought it was a good idea to take the girls, and the other two became excited but Grace became more quiet than usual. I asked her what she thought of going to see Toy Story 3, and it all came gushing out. She had tears in her eyes and told me she was afraid of Toy Story 3. We can't even walk past the toys from the movie in the store without her shaking in fear. She has begged us not to allow her sisters to get any of the toys from the movie.
Who ever thinks that people with Autism don't have an imagination is so misinformed. You'd be surprised how many people believe it, though. But it's imagination paired with a very literal interpretation of the movies. She believes those movies even as she believes you when you tell her they're just pretend.
She has begged for me to stay with her while her Daddy takes her sisters to the movie. She's not 100% sold on movie theaters to begin with, but I might see if she'll choose another movie to see. The problem is that it's very much a sensory overload with the surround sound, the loudness, the brightness, and the size of the movie screen. It's so busy that it might not work out, so we may end up just having a special afternoon together with some Subway.
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