A LEGEND BREWING

When I first met this little boy, I introduced myself as the woman he would never be able to get rid off for the rest of his life and then I said hello. He opened his eyes really wide and pursed his lips together. I burst out in laughter for I often did this! It was my signature move. “Now that’s my son!”I happily thought.

Levi is now 4. I must say it's been a crazy journey. He is hyper, curious, extremely “destructive” but also one of the most intelligent kids I have ever met. Here are some of his adventures.

• At 2 years, he attempted to milk a cow by himself. Yes, he got the cow into the milking shed!

• Conquered “child proof” caps severally and consequently landed in hospital. NO, am not a careless mother, he is just a very special, intuitive childJ

• Frequently “Undresses” remotes by eating all the buttons

• Has taken 9 BP tablets AND lived to tell the story (or rather lived to allow me to tell the story)

• Accidentally drank paraffin consequently resulting in very “fiery” breadth. He survived that too

• Contributes madly towards economic growth in various sectors e.g ICT, manufacturing, the motor industry etc. By him contributing, I mean that I have contributed by having to replace items over and over again

• Put enough coins in my car’s CD drive. I would not be surprised if it started belting out “Money Money, I need some Money!”.

• Frequently sits in a pail of water fully clothed with a bunch of dirty clothes as companions

The list is endless. You can never leave anything unattended or not watch his every move. Leave him in your room and he will remove the roller off your roll-on, drink your lotion, apply nail polish, oil his hair, eat your earrings, pour all your perfume and carefully dismantle your beaded jewellery and attempt to eat the beads. He will add water to your boiling tea till it spills over and there is only water in the sufuria with a hint of milk! Sometimes, he will put salt in your tea and you will only realize it when you take your first sip. He will draw on every surface including the TV screen (our TV is truly a colour TV!). On one wall, you will find what looks a very big smiley face drawn with a black marker. He also frequently puts his hand into the car’s exhaust pipe and rubs soot all over his face. These are things that kids typically do but I can assure you, Levi can combine a number of these things & then some into one day and into the shortest time possible. Please note though, he is never without a minder or a family member to watch him.

Levi has a knack for seeing things that others don’t. On a huge KWS poster of a Cheetah, Levi sees an Elephant. There is none in the background. Take a look at the KWS logo and you will understand. He can make formations out of anything. Give him toothpicks and pieces of cabbage and you will have a train. He is good at puzzles too. His social skills are wanting though and in response to a “good morning” you are likely to get a loud “NO”. He prefers not to greet people completely. Levi detests wearing sweaters or jackets. He cries if you force him.

  

He is the most interesting person I have ever met! Whatever you think Levi cannot do or is beyond his age HE CAN & HE WILL DO IT. As someone recently told me, Levi is a LEGEND BREWING, probably a savant. Am determined to help him channel all that energy into something that will make the world gasp in wonder.

 *Levi was recently diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (AS)