When I was young, I would memorize facts on our solar system. Whenever my parents had people over, they would call me into the room and ask me to tell our guests just how far each planet was from the sun in kms, how many moons each one had, their moon's names, each one's atmospheric gas composition...you get the picture. I would gladly 'entertain' them this way. Then, I wasn't an Aspie child doing what Aspie children like to do, but a 'gifted' child; one that they would love to show off to others.
When I grew older, my subjects of interest passed from 'signs of giftedness' to useless obsessions that got in the way of my schoolwork and were no longer encouraged. My long one-sided conversations would revolve around subjects that would bore the heck out of everybody.
Nowadays I drop a few hints here and there on what my 'unhealthy, useless, weird, nerdy, weird, unimportant, did-I-say-weird? obsessions' are (or so they've been called), but never engage in a lengthly conversation about them with my parents or siblings. It just isn't worth it.
22 Jul 2007, 8:00 pm
