Today, my dad and I went to the nursery and bought five shrubs, and half a dozen or so flowering perennials. He and the man planted them all in the back yard, and then they leveled and staked down our arbor and put down bark. Man, it looks beautiful!! The yard is so close to being done! If only I could get him to go get the lattice we need to close up the split rail fence and cover the window wells, the kids could play outside. Soon. Soon.

I stupidly forgot to put on sunscreen and my neck and shoulders and chest and the part in my hair are all burned to a crisp. I guess it didn't occur to me when we headed out the door that we'd be OUTSIDE at noon for a good hour or two. And since I'm fair and never spend time outdoors, I burn immediately. Hmph. Now I'm going to have to get some self tanner to even out my shoulders so I don't have a farmer's tan at the wedding!

You know, someone left me a comment that pissed me RIGHT the hell off. In fact, I turned off anonymous commenting because I was so pissed, but I'm sure I'll eventually turn it back on. This was their comment:

YOU Said, "He doesn't do well with crowds and noise. Plus, he doesn't give a shit about any of the rides or games, he's much happier just playing with the tokens. Whatever!"

Have you thought about Autism as these behaviors are classic symptoms of Autism???

Blood boiling. Here was my response:

Hey Anonymous, here's a thought.

Have you ever thought about leaving your name and identity when giving unsolicited advice? No? Then shut the fuck up and mind your own business.

YES, I am very conscientious when it comes to the well-being of my children. Keep in mind I only share about 1% of my life with the people reading my blog.

God. Fucking asshole people trying to diagnose a child they've never seen or met, and in the rudest way possible.

Just so no one is asking themselves, my God, what the fuck crawled up Laura's ass today? I'll elaborate.

First, I have a huge problem with people who don't understand TONE. As in, they think it's okay for anything at all to tumble out of their mouth, or across their keyboard, and they don't care at all how they come across. And when someone leaves me a comment like that all full of "YOU said THIS!" with multiple exclamation points, that pisses me off. There's no reason for that bullshit, when you can word it SO differently. My God, Anonymous Assclown, you're talking about a pretty damned delicate topic that involves my BOY. A little sensitivity wouldn't kill you.

Second, I have a huge problem with people thinking they know something about my kids just because they happen to read my blog. You don't know shit about shit, because what I share here is SO superficial - I don't even talk about anyone by name! You think my kid is autistic because he's a little antisocial and is a late talker? I guess I didn't realize it was so simple to diagnose a toddler who isn't even two yet, who happens to be a twin, who you've never seen or observed in any way. Hell, apparently you can make that diagnoses with a photograph uploaded to Flickr and a couple of blog entries! Damn!

Third, I have a huge problem with people who post anonymously. It takes an extra, what, second and a half to type your name and email address? You're online, fucker, you have to have SOME sort of online identity? What's the matter, can't you stand by your own little diagnosis, there? Or are you fully aware that you were being rude as fuck, and that's why you commented anonymously? I'm pretty sure that's what it was.

Fourth, I have a huge problem with people who just ASSUME I'm some fucking retard when it comes to parenting my children. Do you think I don't have a backpack of fucking guilt I carry around all day, worrying about anything and everything when it comes to my kids? Come on! This ain't my first rodeo, babe. I'm fully aware that other kids the age of my boy generally are speaking by now. I'm fully aware that some of his behavior may fit the checklists for diagnosing autism. And I'm also fully aware that his behavior fits the checklists for diagnosing BEING TWO. I'm extremely proactive when it comes to taking care of my kids and figuring out what they need, and I RESENT THE FUCK out of anyone who implies otherwise.

So, that's it. I'm still mad about it. And while I generally welcome comments, advice, shared viewpoints, and all that jazz - I don't welcome them from people who don't have enough spine to actually stand by their words.

The end.