Autism

  Well, summer is here.  And so I am once again watching my 18 yr old brother--who is autistic.  He's a handful.  I love my brother dearly---but these long hours of watching him are exhausting. (During the school year I watch him after school--about 3 hrs a day.) I am now down to 2-3 days a week.  (A couple of summers ago I watched him 5 days a week.  That was nuts!)
   Recently has been difficult because he has a scratch by his lip.  And he won't leave it alone.  He keeps picking, picking, picking, until it bleeds.  And even then he won't stop.  We have to put long socks over his hands and make sure he keeps them on.  It at least slows the picking down.
   So Autism runs in families.  I was a little bit worried about my kids when they were younger.  But my youngest is 13---so I think I have dodged that bullet.