Be More Careful Aboot That

My brother is autistic and lives in a group home. He broke his foot and was given a cast and a walking boot to go over it. He had to get his cast redone because he would walk around without the boot and his cast cracked. He comes to visit us and often walks around without his boot. This conversation happens more than once.

Mom: “Where is your boot?”

Brother: “Over there.”

After several days of this:

Mom: “Where is your boot?”

Brother: “Over there.”

Me: “When we say, ‘Where is your boot?’ that’s code for, ‘Why aren’t you wearing it?’”