Sock

A month ago, Calder's job coach told me a colleague had seen Calder taking off his shoes on the bus. Then I found socks with holes at corners of our house. Calder began coming home with only one sock or both socks missing. When I asked, "Where are your socks?", he would produce them from his pocket or his bag, at least one side torn. Had he been playing with his socks on the long bus journey? I bought more socks but they quickly depleted because there would be another torn one the next day. I tried to bribe Calder: a small chocolate (Hershey's kiss) every time he comes home with good socks. Didn't work. I threatened: "Do you want to walk barefooted, Calder?" "No!" He exclaimed, albeit with a grin. Since the reward system didn't work, I decided to start a penalty system: no Yakult at supper if socks come home torn. 

It was raining the day we started this penalty system. He came home with socks intact (finally!) though, strangely, extremely wet. Did he step into a puddle? I decided to air his shoes. The next morning, to check if his shoes were completely dry, I inserted my fingers into one. To my surprise, my fingers went right through! There was a big hole at the bottom of the shoe! 

I waited for Calder to wake up to ask him about the hole, which apparently was due to ground abrasion (the other shoe's bottom was also wearing off). 

"Calder, look! What's this?" 

Not knowing what I expected, he ventured, "Shoe is torn." 

"What should we do?" I asked. 

"Fix," he replied. 

The shoe was too far gone though. So I told him we had to throw them away. I let him watch me put them into the rubbish chute (so he would not be searching for them). And he started wearing a new pair to work. When I told his job coach about the hole, she remarked: Ah, he might have taken out his shoes because rocks or sand had gotten in! 

I don't know if Calder's socks had been torn because they rubbed against the ground when he walked, or because the hole gave him easy access to fiddle with them. This incident made me realize a few things though:

1. Calder doesn't ask for help. 

2. I should always give him benefit of the doubt. 

3. Sometimes, God answers prayers humorously.