another gem from the Wendling

[sistawendy]

I've been trying to get my son to use a flat sheet for years. I did so again a few minutes ago.

SistaWendy: Why don't you use a flat sheet? It'll keep your blankets from getting dirty.
Wendling: OK.
SW: [fetches flat sheet and puts it on the Wendling's bed]
W: I think it's weird that people sleep under it instead of on top of it.
SW: If you sleep under it, then it can't keep your blankets clean.
W: But if I sleep under it, I can't feel the blankets.
SW: ARGH!

Folks, I think what we have here is the classic Asperger's autistic spectrum sensory issues combined with inflexibility. The bottom line is that my son tends to get blankets filthy with his boy grime. Oh, and did I mention that he will avoid using my shower because of the high water pressure and fine adjustment needed with two knobs. (The shower, like the rest of the building, dates from the '50s.)

Comments

[randomdreams]

This is a drag for you but there are little plastic pressure reducers you can stick in the shower head to conserve water. They definitely reduce the sting. I hear him on the two-knob adjustment. I hate those. Ours is a half-knob adjustment and it's the single best thing about the bathroom.

[sara]

Duvet + two duvet covers.

(I can get the autistic one to use a flat sheet; the neurotypical (male) kid, nsm. He also sleeps with the dog. I gave up and started rotating duvet covers. They're cheap at Ikea.)

[leenerella]

I have lots of sympathy for the touch-sensitive, even though I complain about how my kid reacts. I realize I have it a little bit, too.

How about softer sheets? How might he feel about flannel or microfiber or fleece sheets?

Otherwise, rotating duvet covers in pleasing fabrics is a pretty good idea. Hilariously, my MIL makes quilts and covers out of ...oversized flat sheets. Ha!

Two-tap faucet adjustments are a big pain, always. Ugh.

[sistawendy]

He did complain about the lack of softness in a flat sheet. The one he’s got, though, dates from 2000. Ex insisted on nice sheets.

[ximinez]

Who washes the sheets and blankets? If it's him, my suggestion is to let him sleep however he wants - as long as he washes everything at the same time. If it's not him, my suggestion is to make it him, then go back to step 1. :)

[maribou]

FWIW I came across one of those dumb "millennials have kilt X" about flat sheets the other day.