Pop Rocks on the floor

OK, so there are so many things in life that I try to be careful about concerning the boys.  I try to anticipate issues that may arise in new places or situations and prepare the boys as much as possible for those things.  I try to adapt our home to make them comfortable and have places to relax and feel secure.  I succeed at this sometimes and not so much at other times.  Tonight I failed miserably.

I found a package of pop rocks at the food pantry tonight.  It brought back such fun memories of my childhood and eating pop rocks when I was about J's age.  I could not wait to get home and have J try them.  I came home and showed them to J and had him try a couple.  He put them in his mouth and looked at me with a panicked look on his face.  He asked what they were and I told him pop rocks.  He immediately spit them out on the floor of the kitchen and asked why I would do this to him?  I told him I liked them and thought maybe he would like them too.  Didn't work.  He immediately teared up and looked like I had just told him the internet was broken.  Seriously, my chances of getting the mother of the year award just died.  It's over.  

I went into the living room to have dinner and put my feet up and J came in a while later to say goodnight.  He once again asked why I would offer him pop rocks, asking in such a way in imply that I was trying to poison him in some way.  I simply told him I thought he would like them since I like them.  After J went to bed Brandon told me he had never had pop rocks either.  I was really surprised by that so I offered him the packet.

I looked over at Brandon and the look on his face was priceless.  He had the most pained look on his face.  I started laughing so hard.  It was so funny.  He asked how long it would continue to pop.  I told him until they dissolved.  He didn't look pleased.  It was so funny.  

I realized that this was a situation where I was totally not clued into the idea that for a child with autism pop rocks would rock his world in a very bad way.  I totally missed that this was such a really bad idea and would compromise his trust in me.  I didn't realize soon enough that my liking something isn't enough to introduce it to the boys.  Things have to be more deliberate, more planned, more measured, and more thought through.  

It's Autism Awareness month and I have to be more aware of Autism.