Well, I think it can be said that all children embarrass their parents at some point. Some more than others. To be honest, Cameron isn't too embarrassing to be around because he enchants everyone and they forgive him for just about anything he does. Although sometimes that can be a bit embarrassing. I used to say that one of our friends would even forgive him if he burnt down his house.
Over the years Cameron has done all number of embarrassing things like completely untuning a friends TV and media equipment and doing such a good job that it took two weeks to fix it. Another friends house he knocked the TV off it's cabinet disconnecting the aerial cable which then slid into the wall cavity and down to the bottom floor of their two story house. Another long wait for reconnection.
Just lately he has been refusing to get off the public bus during his class excursions and his sole purpose for staying on the bus is to look at pretty girls. I feel really sorry for his assistant who is gorgeous herself so he doesn't need anyone else to stare at. I think he might have a thing for blondes.
Cameron has a few little quirks that can be embarrassing like when he reaches out and grabs people as they walk past in shopping centres or touches women's name badges on their chest or the necklace resting in their cleavage. Stopping and shaking total strangers hands when we're out and about can be embarrassing especially when he then refuses to let go and I have to pry him off.
When you enter a shop he always wants to make contact with the shop assistant and never wants to leave. We have one particular cafe that he is very hard to drag away from whether we've bought anything or not. He tries to climb over the counter to touch the shop assistants who he has decided he really likes.
He used to have a habit of joining other picnics or cafe tables when he thought that family still had food left or it looked better than what we were feeding him. Imagine the surprised look on the faces of the newly adopted family. Worse still was when he'd walk past a table of empty plates with scraps and grab himself a chip or three - yes I do feed my children!
He went through a phase of getting into or trying to get into other people's cars and still today if you lose him you should check the cars. About a month ago I found him in a strangers car at horseriding. Thankfully they didn't mind but it was embarrassing.
However despite all of these little things I still live in fear of public vomiting. Cameron has been vomiting in public since he initially got sick with Meningitis and it only stopped after we found our Angel - our Chiropractor.
Vomiting is embarrassing because it always catches you unawares and people don't know how to react or how to help you.
The worst vomits were food related. One night we were sitting in a crowded restaurant and Cameron had already made us shrink by standing in the middle of the restaurant right in front of the musician and clapping loudly with enthusiasm for his efforts. No he was not standing where an audience would stand he was standing right in the middle of the passage where people were walking to get their food and to leave.
Back at the table without any warning he vomited a stomach full of food straight into his plate. You should have seen the table recoil. It pretty much ended the meal and we very quickly realized the impact it would make on the other guests so everyone threw their serviettes over the offending pile and sat staring at each other. Having to catch the eye of a waiter and then explain the situation was embarrassing especially when the waiter then had to suffer removing the plate. I could go on and describe the odour but I won't for fear of you losing your stomach contents.
That day became a distant memory after the cafe incident. I was having a lovely day out with a girlfriend and our four children. Cameron once again did his party trick vomiting all over everyone's food this time. This triggered my friends son to start vomiting too. As I sat for a second trying to comprehend what had just happened to my lunch, which I'd only taken a few bites of, my girlfriend jumped up and ran. She's not good with vomit so I was left with four very upset children, vomit all over the table, me and the kids and nobody to help. The young waitress offered me a serviette!
That was embarrassing as I stood in the cafe trying to calm everybody down, clean everybody up including myself, apologize to the cafe owner for the mess we had just created, pay and try and leave with as much dignity as possible. Luckily I love my girlfriend and we can now laugh about the day she ran off and left me covered in vomit with all our kids because Cameron vomited.
These days I don't get as embarrassed as I used to. I walk arm in arm with my fifteen year old son across the crowded high school oval past all the teenagers and I hold my head high because really what I'm doing is not nearly as embarrassing as those teenagers think.
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I need to say in my defence that I was pregnant and morning sick at the time I abandoned you! And there were only Cam and Sam left (coz Meg came with me, coz she wasn't born yet). And if I had known Sam would react I would have grabbed him but he hadn't shown that he was a woos like his mother at that stage. Probably wouldn't have helped if I had thrown up too!!! Poor you tho, surprised you ever let me come out with you again:P And poor waiter!
ReplyDeleteOn my goodness Vicki was it that long ago? Before the girls? I was having trouble remembering the girls so that explains why. I'm thinking he has vomited another memorable restaurant/cafe time because I know I've had My Little Angel with me.
ReplyDeleteSo many vomits and so little brain to remember them all.
You're right, if you had joined in the vomit as well I think I would have thrown my hands up and crawled under the table to cry. I just remember being so disappointed that I'd lost my lunch because it had been really nice.
And it is when I learnt to get Sam away from vomit fast! I think he just retched but it was enough! In case you are interested it was chips he was eating! The whole thing is burned into my brain!!
ReplyDeleteNo, he vomited - you weren't there, how would you know!?! Heheheheheheheh
ReplyDeleteThe vomiting in the restaurant moment has to be the most embarrassing ever! So hard to laugh off, & must have caused mayhem! Also, must be difficult to explain to a young man with special needs that he can't touch random ladies lol. Has anyone ever reacted badly?
ReplyDeleteJane, it all depends on the person. I have had a few situations where people have swung around and I've ducked for cover pulling Cameron with me because I thought they were going to lash out at him just because he's reached out and touched them somewhere on their body. Generally people are very nice once they realize Cameron has an intellectual impairment but he looks normal so it's takes people a while to figure it out. I do think some of the women are freaked out by his advances but if we get talking they fall under his spell.
ReplyDeleteHe also went through a phase of touching people's handbags and putting his hand into strangers handbags. Boy, that almost got me into trouble a few times.