About the title...

Anyone who is the parent of a child with autism knows that routine and structure is extremely important for that child.  My non-expert opinion of autism is that it is in essence a social communication and anxiety disorder. At least that is how it has always presented for my son.   I believe that the need for routine and structure really comes out of that anxiety.  The child with autism cannot predict what is going to happen next like the rest of us.  So, they create order any way that they can.  Therefore, they create routines, and many times create lots of rules as well.
Raising a rule boy carries with it many blessings.  Just like it sounds, my son always follows the rules.  I have always thought that this added to his structure, routine and decreased his anxiety.  For the most part, that made parenting him very easy.  Even now, he still follows the rules. The speed limit is what it says, not many miles higher.  Another reality to ease parental worry about travel.  However, when he was younger, he also created his own rules.  To the extent where we could honor them, we did. There was no sense in adding to his anxiety if his rules were reasonable.   However, he frequently created rules over which we had no control and these included rules about the weather.  What is a parent to do when a child decides that there can be no thunderstorms in November or snow in April?   Well, we prepared for the coming storm that would happen in our house, much more so than for the one that happened outside.  My son's anxiety would increase gradually, first with the prediction of the weather and then with the onset of the storm.  All the preparation in the world did not stop the fact that his weather rule had been broken.  There was a great sense of frustration that God just did not seem to follow the rules.
As with all aspects of his autistic traits, my son's trouble with these pesky weather rules substantially decreased over time.  I think it safe to say that these issues no longer bother him.  He learned to be flexible and roll with the punches.  But, I still cringe a little when I hear that there will be a thunderstorm in November or snow in April.  I remember the frightened little boy and I appreciate the fine grown man that he has become.  A thunderstorm in November (at least in eastern Pennsylvania) is certainly not a typical occurrence.  It is something unexpected to which people react in various ways; good, bad or indifferent.   Thunderstorms in November posed a real challenge during those years. But, I came to appreciate and even enjoy a good storm.