What does that say to you? Every day when I bring the kids home from school a little something happens in our house that might make some people turn red in the face. What, did Sheldon give it away? Let me ask you, are you comfortable in your God-given skin? This has been an education for me – a freeing of the mind. You see, my son is an Asperger. One of the aspects that some may exhibit is a discomfort with fabrics and clothing. He will not wear jeans and chooses to live in sweats and sport shorts most of the time. These are usually gone shortly after entering the house. A trail of socks and pants litter my floors.
Easily influenced by, and looking up to her older brother, my youngest will do the same. Always there’s the excuse. “I’m hot!” That won’t fly. I’m so cold I won’t take my jacket off till I crawl into bed at the end of the night. I trade my boots for uggs and wait out the hours.
So there you have it! My crazy house. Foot loose and clothes free. Most everyone running around in their underwear. They’d go to school that way if it was allowed.
*Disclaimer: The following contains a lot of underwear clad individuals. Not for those who blush easily.*
I have to confess to observing an extremely casual dress code since I work from home. I’ve been known to work in my pjs all day. But I do keep my pants on for the most part lol. OK this video of people stripping is cracking me up!! Love how the one guy gets up and moves like the men are on fire. And how the guys are leering at the girl. Wonder how long it took for someone to ask what the heck they were doing. Social experiments are such fun!
Melinda, if I could I would do the same. I am in my pjs right now! Isn’t the video a crack up? I loved that they showed the guy at the station brave enough to ask the men what was going on. Everyone else was staring and jumping around like the seats were too hot. Love the girl having a giggle fit while the guy leans over her to look at the map. He was have a great time embarrassing her. LOL
…. today is “pants optional” friday at my workplace, in honor of your household……tres chic
LOL Thanks Andy! BTW, I promoted your book on my FB yesterday. It got likes and comments. All good.
big hug4u
..also, if interested, a woman that i’m good friends with wrote a book about her marriage to aspergers man, you don’t have same situation but u may want to get it and/or tell others…. aspergers needs more attn: ! look for “The Aardvarks Wife” on amazon, by Carolyn woods (amazon)
No, I don’t have that situation. But my son will be that man someday. He was only recently diagnosed, so I’m not connected with a lot of people in that circle right now and he’s not aware of his condition. He’s high functioning and it went under the radar for a long time. I’ll look for the book. Thanks Andy!
My son doesn’t have Asperger but prefers to wear just his skivvies all the same. He’ll keep his clothes on – the challenge is getting him dressed in the first place. He’s quite content to spend the whole day in a pair of briefs. I’m raising an exhibitionist :/
Great post. Love the video.
I can understand that. My daughter is like that. She doesn’t want to get dressed and they come off as soon as we are home even if we are turning around and going back out. And not because she is an Asperger, just because. I think she likes it! LOL Lordy, lordy. Look out when she starts dating. I can get my son dressed for school and if he doesn’t like what he’s wearing by the time we get down to the kitchen table he is in his skivvies. I’m just shaking my head. He’ll be telling me it’s just till they leave for school because the clothes are so uncomfortable. Glad you liked the post and video Lisa. Thanks for stopping by.
I seem to be cold all the time so I keep my clothes on! Your son is a different story and it must feel like scratchy wool to him. I would want to take them off too!
You and me both Susie! I don’t know how their not freezing! I try to understand how the clothing bothers him. He can’t stand fabrics that the rest of my family prefers. It’s just different for him.
Loved the video! I also love that you provide an environment for your child that makes him comfortable, even when it may not always be considered ‘acceptable’. Running around in your undies is not hurting anyone. And for women, some of the shorts they wear are bigger than underwear and cover less. What about workout shorts. They’re the same as boxer briefs.
Go YOU!!
Thanks Ginger. I try to keep the environment positive and upbeat. Although there might be a quick scramble if there’s a knock at the door. LOL Not that my daughter cares. She’d probably answer the door in her underwear if I let her. 😀 But you are right; some of the things that people wear today cover less and are more suggestive.
I’m all about comfort and like Melinda, I may stay in jammies all day. When I get all dolled up, as soon as I get home, I’m back in sweats or comfy pants. My poor husband. He rarely gets to see me in anything other than jammies or workout clothes.
That video is hilarious. I just kept thinking that all that junk is touching those seats… ewwww. I don’t think I’d be comfortable with someone standing in front of my wearing just think panties. There are just some things I don’t need to see. Ever.
You had me laughing all through this comment. You are so funny! But it’s true. I was thinking some of the same things when I was watching the video for the first time. LOL
I rarely dress up either. I’m the comfy type, but so is the hubby so it works out well. Apparently my whole family is! 😀
Debra, I’m sitting inside a coffee shop as I write this. So I’m fully clothed, not because I fear THE LAW, but because I long ago grew weary with fans who slaver when they approach me and ask for my autograph. Although I maintain a hidden, underground writer’s chamber some distance from my home, even there I tend to keep my pants on while at work. But since you were brave enough to bring up such a delicate subject, I thought I might ask your advice regarding a somewhat related malady I oftentimes suffer. See, it’s like this: Once I sit down to write on any given day, I remain seated for several to many hours, so preoccupied and obsessed becomes my mind. I rise from my royal bed quite early each morning, and so if I do not shower and shave first thing before writing, I tend to sprout and ferment as the day progresses. I’m ashamed to admit to this flaw, but admitting our flaws is part of growing up, no? Can you suggest an anti-fermentation remedy?
I wish I had the answer for that one Anthony. Life would smell so much fresher around here! You might want to keep a spray handy to neutralize the air, making it less offensive, if that is an issue. As for hair growth, at least you still have hair! 🙂 Bless you for coming by!
Call me Commando! “No, Mom, I won’t wear ’em until I’m incontinent, m’kay?”
LOL Mike!!!!! I didn’t know we were talking about Depends?!?!?! 🙂
Oh my goodness! You are crackin’ me up Mike!
On a different topic, LOVING your book. Reads like poetry. Just finishe part one.
Well thank you, Debra. I appreciate that. Always good to hear 🙂
OMGosh I love the guy at 2:17. Yeah, I’d be making some tracks, too! Probably be giggling myself sick, but I just wouldn’t not want to be sitting near anyone standing there in their underwear. And I have to say, some of it didn’t look especially clean.
As for the no pants thing… When you have a child with special challenges, you just have to overlook some things. They can have unusual quirks. When he was little, my son liked sleeping in his underwear…wrapped like a burrito in the ONLY wool blanket in our house. It made me itch, head to toe, just looking at him. Fortunately it was a short-lived phase.
The weirdest habit that comes immediately to mind is that when we have a meal that includes bread and butter, he ALWAYS makes his into toast. Why? Because the bread dries out enough during the 15 minutes it takes him to eat a meal that he can’t stand it. I just shake my head and zip my lips.
Wool would drive me crazy! That’s hard to imagine. My kid kicks off the sheets I like the best and wraps up in the feather comforter completely, including his head. He gets soo hot, but that’s the way he likes it. I don’t know how anyone can sleep with a blanket pulled up over their head.
Odd habits you say? Mine will spend forever in the bathroom washing his hands only to decide they don’t smell right and return to start again. *sigh* It’s not as bad as it used to be actually. And he used to wash other things (that shouldn’t be thrown in the water) because he decided they were dirty.
Yeah, CJ sleeps with his head covered, too. It used to freak me out. And he’s got a thing about hand washing. He doesn’t do it twice, but he spends so much time with it his hands get terribly dry…no matter how much lotion I get for him. In the winter it’s worse…looks like he’s wearing red gloves.
He does have this thing about trash bags, too. If a bag isn’t completely full – I mean you’re barely able to close it up – he will have a royal fit. He’s like the trash bag police or something. You can waste anything else in the house but not the trash bag space. We argue regularly in the summer when things tend to start smelling bad. He just doesn’t care. If the bag isn’t full, it shouldn’t be taken out to the dumpster. (I win this argument…)
Now that I think about it, a lot of young kids seem to have a no-pants policy. Underwear and diapers rule their world.
I can’t blame them. I’m one of those jerks who take their shirts off for no reason, even though I don’t have the upper-body build for it. It just feels right, you know? 🙂
I know Fabio. More power to you! We shouldn’t be ashamed of our bodies. Society has crammed that notion down our throat.
LOL at the video! Some brave souls there! Yeah, I have twin 6 yr old boys and they both shed their clothes as soon as they come in the door. One lives in his underwear and the other one in pj bottoms (and sometimes his batman cape) but we live in Florida, so I don’t really worry about it.
Oh my gosh! I love the batman cape. That is precious! A pair of twins, Shannon. You have your hands full. My grandfather was a twin. I was always told I would have twins. As a result, I was afraid to have kids. I used to babysit twins and didn’t think I could handle having a pair of my own. The Lord saw fit to give me one at a time. 🙂
LOL! When I saw your blog title I was wondering if Chuck Wendig had hijacked your blog. (If you don’t read his blog, you should – it’s hilarious, provided you aren’t easily offended!) Me, I am one of those people who are always cold, so I am in my jeans as soon as I’m out of the shower, and right until I get in bed! Dress slacks for work Mon-Thurs., but the jeans go on as soon as I’m home. My husband, OTOH, is like your son, only w/o Aspergers for an excuse. The only reason he usually wears sweats or shorts is because we have a daughter.
I haven’t heard of Chuck Wendig. I’ll have to check his blog out. Thank you Jennette. I’m not easily offended. I’m always cold too. I’m the only one in the family that stays dressed and bundled up. Even my hubby gets comfy when he gets home. Although he has lounge pants. Keeps him modest around OUR daughter. 🙂
Debra, I agree with Fabio. For years my sons ran around the house in their underwear. They loved it. Actually, they loved it even better when they ran naked after their bath with the hooded towel on their head flying though the house! LOL! But what was always crazy was trying to get them to dress appropriately for the weather. They would invariably dress in shorts in the winter and sweats in the summer. And we would end up in an arguement over it. Finally I just gave up. I think the more stink you make out of it with them, the more they dig in their heels. That’s what happened with me. Make any sense? 🙂
Indeed! Kids do enjoy their freedom. I would expect this of younger children; I guess I expected children in their double digits to show a little more modesty. But I know his Aspergers plays a major role in his fashion choice. I used to argue with him before I knew why he refused to wear things. I don’t argue anymore. I just go with the flow.
In our house I am lucky to get any cloths on before noon. My 7 year old daughter has to be chided about coming out in front of the house keepers with just her undies on. Most of the day when we finally get dressed is spent in sweats and pullover. (We do get dressed to leave the house.)
But my 19 year old asperger daughter sleeps in full regalia -Bra, undies, pants, shirt socks. So you just never know what to expect. Just go with the flow and let the wind blow as it may.
They do this in Los Angeles every year. It’s part of a grand improv routine. What’s crazy — it’s in JANUARY! Do you know how cold it gets in a LA subway in January? Not to mention New York. I can see their goose pimples 🙂
My best friend’s six-year-old son is an Asperger. He carries on conversations like at 30-year-old and has more common sense than most adults I know. Face it, we’d all be running around in underwear (at least at home) if we thought we could get away with it!
I have only been down in the LA subway once, so I don’t know how cold it gets, but I can imagine. I have been planning to take the kids this summer. It’s a new experience we can add to their plate. They want to see Hollywood (not sure why) so we will take it from Universal Studios in. They have to have some pretty thick skin to stripe down to barely anything when it’s so cold out. It’s been a looong time since I’ve been to any of the improv stuff. Those were pre-kid days.
Oh, the conversations are amazing! I have to admit that sometimes he loses me. I don’t always follow what he’s saying when he gets into computer or computer game technical talk. But he is always SO polite. I always get comments from other adults and strangers about that. And he is already doing things on the computer that I don’t get. Yep, I’m a computer dummy. He’s running in the room telling me he just downloading this and that. I’m all “WHAT! Who said you could download anything?” He’s all, “It’s fine mom. I know what I’m doing.” LOL
Oh Debra, I love this. I have to admit, I spend a lot of time at home, and as much as I love getting dolled up when I head outside, I can’t wait to get down to the “bare essentials” once I’m in the door. It’s definitely one of the perks of living alone. 😛
It really is, isn’t it? I love snuggling up in my favorite sweater. It’s become practically a permanent accessory. LOL. Thank you for the compliment Lena. I really appreciate you stopping by!
Once I walk in the door, I put on pajama pants and my flannet bathrobe. I am always cold, and the thought of less clothing makes me feel cold. Except when it is really warm, and then I like tiny shorts that are totally inappropriate to wear out of the house. That’s the thing about home. You can wear whatever you want. My little brother used to be very anti-pants. I remember having to explain to him why he couldn’t go outside naked when he was six. And we recently found a pic of him in ski boots, a helmet, and nothing else. Oh, he was embarassed when he saw that!
That’s priceless Emma. The things we do when we are kids. I am completely convinced that men and women/boys and girls run at different temperatures. Your story sounds like mine, except for the shorts. I have to watch what I wear around the kids. They are usually locked in the house with me.
Ha… It took me years to overcome my modesty. Once I did, it was totally freeing—not that I run around naked 24/7 or anything. LOL It’s important to spend time with our bodies with and without clothes and dress how we feel most comfy. Love the story about your family! And really dug this post, Debra.
Thanks, August. I agree, it’s important to be comfortable with one’s self. It took me some time to get there. I still need a little work. 😉
BBT! Sheldon is such the super villain in the making, he gets all the best lines.
He TOTALLY does!
Like Melinda and Tameri, I tend to be pretty casual because I work from home. Even though I don’t stay in my PJs all day, it’s always yoga pants or sweats for me (unless I have to go out). I have to say, though, that the removal of clothing doesn’t seem too weird to me. My younger brother used to hang around in just his boxers all the time in the summer. When we finally went to our own homes, I thought I was free of pants-less men…only to discover that my husband also leaves a trail of clothes as soon as he steps foot in the house 😛
Just wait Marcy. If you guys decide to add kids to the bunch that trail will increase. At least the husbands trail is somewhat confined to an area close to the bedroom (at least mine is). The kid’s trail is EVERYWHERE! And the socks! Oh my lordy, the socks! But maybe you won’t go there and you can manage to train your one? Good luck. 😀
Not comfortable enough to go on the subway in my undies.
I don’t blame you Alica. Neither am I. That’s a bit much.
I wouldn’t undress in public but if I’m too warm at home, I definitely undress. Outside the house, I wouldn’t feel too comfortable running in my undies, not because I don’t have a body for it (I’m not saying I’m perfect – actually far from it, haha), but because I love wearing nice clothes 🙂
In summer my kids often run around the house in their underwear, and I’m totally okay with it, if it makes them happy!
I could see that. Your love for nice outer garments would be nagging at you if you left them behind. 🙂 Fashion first! Hehe If you could only teach my son. I can’t even get him to wear the matching set for his pjs. LOL
At present, I’m home all day, but I am clothed. 🙂 Haven’t ever been that carefree. For some reason, I feel like I need to be in a work mode, if that makes sense. But after reading the comments, I feel like I need to get a comfy pair of sweats or workout pants, STAT. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself. See how much smarter women are than men? And now that I’m going there, the seams from jeans do hurt after about an hour!
You know I didn’t know that being uncomfortable in certain clothing was part of Aspergers. Interesting, my friend.
Work mode. That’s a mind set in order to get things done. I totally understand that. My father was self-employed and when he finally had to move his office into the home he would still get dressed into his business suit every day to get his head in the right frame of mind. Otherwise it was too easy for him to slack off and not get the work done. But when it comes to me and writing there is nothing more I’d rather be doing so it doesn’t matter what I am wearing or not wearing. Comfortable is best so that I’m not fidgeting. If you feel the same, by all means, get yourself some comfy clothes! 😀
This trait my son exhibits is a possible for Aspergers and not all will exhibit it. We got lucky. When I looked up all the possible signs on-line I was saying yes to almost every single one. We have a text book example on our hands.
Despite being neurotic in a variety of other ways, I’m pretty comfortable in my own skin. When I was in college I belonged to what we called the Co-ed Skinnydipping Team, and in the summer I only put on a shirt under duress. I think in this culture we are so fixated on having perfect bodies that people become ashamed of what they look like. My philosophy: wear what you need to when you need to, and when it doesn’t matter, wear as much or as little as you want to.
I blame the media for that fixation. Magazines, movies, etc. have pushed this image on us and we have bought into it. It’s sad really and has made our society and unhealthy one. You’re right; we shouldn’t be ashamed of our bodies. Hopefully, more of us start waking up and share in this philosophy. Thank you for stopping in and sharing Gordon. Have an amazing week!
Your children are priceless, Debra. Ah, to be young and free. One day, he’ll grow up and maybe decide that pants or jeans and a shirt aren’t such a bad thing. Or he may decide that loose fitting shorts are his thing. He’ll find his own style. 🙂
I know he will, or at least I hope he will, for the sake of a job. LOL Thank you so much Sheila. ❤
My kids were all nudists at heart and no asperger’s . We didn’t fuss too much about clothes when we were alone until my son (my oldest) turned 9, He looked at me. You know what I mean – as a boy looking at a female. after that, household nudity ended. fun while it lasted but over.
I know what you mean. I have been trying to stop the kids from just barging into our bedroom and bathroom whenever they want. My son may be 10 and extremely smart on some levels, but very naive and much younger in other areas. So it’s a challenge. We’ve been trying to start it with my daughter already.
Yes, they hit that age adn then it has to stop. raising children is always a challenge. sounds like you have kept your sense of humor, which is a very good thing.
I’m only seeing this post now. Lol at the faces of the people on the train!! ha ha. I work from home so I get to wear comfy clothes all day..
Ha, ha. Those people were taken a little by surprise. Can you imagine how you might have reacted?