Were you a Good Little Aspie?

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I've been wondering about my childhood. I was, as Willow Rosenberg puts it, "very seldom naughty" as a child. I didn't cry until I was four days old, I never deviated from my mother's instructions (often to hilarious effect), I was so afraid of being reprimanded by adults that I shied away from asking them anything - even things like "May I have a glass of water? - and wrote notes to my mother to ask for things. I wasn't so much shy - in fact I was quite confident, liked the limelight etc - just scared of getting told off, of being a "bad girl". I found adults wholly unpredictable and unfair, I was always getting into trouble for things I didn't mean to be rude or naughty, misunderstandings all day long.

Anyone else a good little aspie?



BTW I grew out of this when I was in my mid teens and started getting all witchy and emo and known for being a "psycho", even slapped my mum once. I think it was a response to keeping everything in all those years.

I wasn't too disobedient, but on the other hand I wasn't perfect either. Mostly the threat of getting spanked kept me from being out of control.

My dad said I was the hardest child he had to raise. I was beat repeatedly with a belt for reasons I could not understand. He would offer no explanation, because to him it was self-explanatory. I was just doing things naurally in alignment with my aspieness, and no one explained to me how to correct them. They just assumed I was being a brat.

It would depend on which aspect you were talking about for me. Basically as soon as I started speaking regularly (age 4, went from next to nothing to paragraphs instantly), I started talking back a lot. I was also very controlling, very bossy, and had to have things my way. I wouldn't settle for less. I was also extremely good at manipulating people into getting me what I wanted. I was also extremely opinionated about anything and everything, especially the way people dressed, how they presented themselves, and how they lived. All of this coming from a four-year-old!

However, I was very smart when I was little. I was wise beyond my years. I also loved to organize and I was very social. I remember my biggest goal was to be popular, which I easily achieved. I knew all the best clothes, the best toys, and the best TV shows. I had a lot of friends around the neighborhood, daycare, and pre-school.

I was also extremly uptight about certain things. I wouldn't dare dance in front of anyone or even show anyone my belly button (don't ask, I don't know why anymore). I had to be the first one done with schoolwork and get the best grades.

When it came to getting along with adults, it really depended on who it was. My pre-school teacher just loved me and thought I was an outstanding student. My mom remembers her saying that even. However, my kindergarten teacher couldn't stand me. That's how it's always been with anyone. They either love me to pieces or hate me with a passion. There's no gray area at all.

I was a bit of a handful as a little kid.

I was very, very good. Think Lisa Simpson, bright, self righteous, eager to please.

But on the other hand (and completely unlike Lisa Simpson) there were certain rules I never got.

For example, my Mum and Dad having a dinner party one night. I recognised the voice of a priest who had given me a copy of the Hobbit to read, and decided I had to tell him what a great book it was. I ran down stairs, and started prattling to him about how much I'd enjoyed the book.

Draw back being that I was stark naked. I had no idea why my parents were angry. When they explained to me that people generally wore clothes in public, I found it very hard to wrap my head around. Although I don't run around naked anymore, I still don't understand the logic of it.

There were another couple of incidents like that.

Another thing that one must never do socially, apparently, is come down to a parents dinner do, asking for a drink, then decide to stay for nibbles. I remember another dinner party where I ended up talking theology with (funnily enough) another priest, on the religious background of the Golden Fleece by Robert Graves.

I'd like to point out that I was neither as clever as I thought I was, nor as clever as the priest thought I was...

But I do think I embarassed my poor parents no end.

Other than that, I was a good little aspie.

I was a bit of both if that makes any sense. I had behavior problems when I was very young but as I got a little older I was generally well behaved around other kids.

I remember once around the age of 6 I was being babysat along with some other kids at someone else's house. I remember we were left alone for a short while and the others opened up the refrigerator and started eating a birthday cake with their fingers. I remember being mortified by the incident. I couldn't believe they had the gall to do such a thing and it completely grossed me out. I just wanted to disappear somewhere. I was not the kind of child that would ever do something like that.

I was difficult in other ways though. I always had a lot of temper tantrums around my close family. I wasn't necessarily "naughty" in a dishonest or mischievous way though, just very obsessive and head-strong. I was adamant about my obsessions and I raised bloody hell when I didn't get my way.

I was a good child. My mom's friend is ALWAYS bringing up the fact that I was the only 3 year old child she ever met who would walk into her house full of knick knacks and not touch a thing-I'd just stand there and look until I was given permission. There were 3 cat figurines I was allowed to play with, and I would not touch any of the other hundreds of things within reach when playing. I also would not sit down until I was told I was allowed to, wouldn't (and still don't) use restrooms without asking, I said please and thank you for everything given to me, lol. She tells everyone and anyone about these things all the time, including telling me over and over what a good child I was.

I loved to tease and I did horrible things and then thinking kids are mean to me because they didn't want me around or at their house or wanted to play with me and I was just clueless about my behavior and their feelings. Yeah they screamed and yelled at me but I didn't get why. I look back and see I was the one who was mean, not them. I wouldn't want someone around if they didn't respect me or my home and I don't respect horrible people so no wonder kids didn't respect me. That's why I am no upset anymore that I was bullied and picked on because I deserved it.

I was the quiet one who didn't touch things I wasn't supposed to touch, and hated getting my hands dirty. That's when I was around adults. Around other kids, I did things that I couldn't recall later, or didn't understand the significance of why they were so angry at me.

Most of the time I was very mellow and well behaved, and still am. Perhaps this is partially because I'm very sensitive to criticism, and partially because my brain processes things at a much slower rate than everyone else. (Many people mistake this as a lack of intelligence, but I have a high IQ.)
Though, I've still had my moments. I rarely lose my temper, but when I do I sometimes say things I often regret later on.

For the most part I appeared very quiet and meek, as I didn't want to upset anyone. I hid in the background and kept quiet.

I was the best-behaved child in kindergarten and very well behaved at school until the bullying started.

No one ever thought that there was a problem because I was generally so well behaved and quiet and did well at school. So what was there for the teacher to comment about?

Problems only started when I was bullied on a sports team, although she was known as a bully so I essentially had permission (from my parents and coaches) to act out against her.