Recently, I discovered that Joseph loves to blow out candles. If there was one lit on the kitchen counter or on a living room table, he was adamant about blowing it out (as hard as that can be for him…you’ll see). He would make gestures and noises and say “oh no!” until I reassured him that the thing on fire was ok and supposed to be that way.
So, I had a revelation at lunchtime one day: I could get him to take bites of food if I let him blow out the candle. Considering the difficulty we’ve had in getting him to eat, I made this an incentive. It’s Joseph and me, his food, a candle and a lighter. I know this seems strange, but I am eager to make mealtime more enjoyable. {We still cling to the belief that because of his long-standing GI issues, he associates food and even being at the table with unhappiness and discomfort.} The candle provided a distraction for him. The candle also provided good old-fashioned entertainment for me.
Meme came to visit during this short phase of candle-blowing. That’s her in the video holding the candle and laughing while I film. I lost my voice around this time, so excuse the hoarseness.
Leave a Reply