Ally's Play

I just observed something about Ally's play that I've never noticed before. He often plays by himself. We (his therapists and I) have always thought the he perseverates on cars and trains because he likes the wheels and mechanics. What we haven't noticed is that he is engaging in pretend play with the vehicles. They are always facing each other or him (yes, the toys have actual faces), and he makes them "talk" to each other! I thought he was just babbling gibberish to himself, but today I heard them tell each other "Come on!" and call each other by name (Toby and James). I think he was even trying to make them kiss after I kissed him! He also says "choo choo" and makes the whooshing steam sound.

I know I'm always talking down the boob tube, but I think the Thomas the Tank Engine video actually helped teach Alex this kind of play (watching "Cars" at his Aunt Chappy's last weekend probably didn't hurt either). That doesn't mean I'm going to let him watch more television, it just means I won't feel so guilty when I do.

Temper Tantrums and The Boob Tube

Sometimes when Alex is having a temper tantrum the only thing I can do to calm him down is to turn on the boob tube. This really bothers me. I want to be able to calm him down without numbing his brain. What did mothers do before television was invented?