Usually Friday belongs to my challenged son but yesterday he and I were both busy and so today we have a number of errands to do together. I have trouble sometimes keeping up with his needs as well as mine and I am so grateful to his counsellor. Matt is under the care of Community Living and Bonnie is his counsellor/ombudsman/friend and - like me - nag. We both scrutinize his shirt collars and advise spray before he washes. Note that he does his own laundry. She used to be the counter-signator on his essential cheques (rent, food and services). Now she has signed off and he has full control of his checking and is doing very well. He is supposed to do all his own shopping and he has bought his own pyjamas and underwear but I went with him a couple of weeks ago to get new shoes (I needed some, too) and helped him find a bargain but he did the choosing and of course the fitting. He gave me wine for my birthday, two excellent bottles (not too expensive) purchased on his own with advice from the LCBO clerk. Today we are going to find him a cell phone, as simple as possible, no camera or apps or fancy stuff, but a life-line for safety's sake, and we'll make sure that the keys are big enough for his hand-eye co-ordination to handle. That's important.

You take most things in your day-to-day living for granted until you have someone special in your life who doesn't find things easy or automatic and who doesn't simply learn by osmosis the way most of us do. Years ago when he was in a special school I asked him what he learned that day and he said squares and triangles and things and I was surprised because I taught him all that before he started school. But I misunderstood. He was learning the symbols on clothes labels that provide washing guides.

But no one taught him his easy sense of humour. Maybe he gets it from his father.