Smells Like It Smells
Friends have told me about their kids having an overpowering need to smell things—-perhaps these Kool-Aid scented shoes from Reebok would have been just the right thing, over and over numerous sets of “smelly” markers and scratch ‘n’ sniff stickers. I wouldn’t say that my son Charlie is oversensitive to smells. There have been times when he has sniffed every piece of food before eating it; he does seem to tolerate some smells that are quite unpleasant more patiently than many people. (Too, it’s possible that he is just not telling us that the smell bothers him; just as well that fewer women (15%) are wearing perfume, as reported by the New York Times.) Certainly the one place where Charlie particularly likes to be—-the ocean—–is a heady mix of brine and salt and something wild, and not easily bottled in a jar of perfume—-or infused into a sneaker.
Tags: Animals, asd, asperger, autism, ocean, Parenting, pdd-nos, perfume, sea, smell
8 opinions for Smells Like It Smells
Daisy
Feb 19, 2008 at 6:02 pm
When Amigo was a baby, we lived on a busy street. I used to take him out for walks in the stroller past the donut shop, the gas station, the pizza restaurant…it was great for little guy who couldn’t see his surroundings.
Regan
Feb 19, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I’m a sucker for perfume or at least the idea of perfume, but I’m not surprised that people are cutting back…a lot of it smells like bug spray to me and sometimes I find myself getting migraines after spending time in a closed space with someone drenched in certain scents.
There is one…one, however that I do wear because Eleanor likes it, and since it’s really the only one that I wear, it’s “Mama’s smell”. (I guess it can’t be too awful because people stop me to ask me what it is and to tell me how good it smells.)
That said, is there anything as nice as the smell of the air on a rainy day?
Marla
Feb 19, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Smell is a big thing here. M complains Joe smells no matter what he does. All the food smells, she refuses to go into a Subway restaurant due to the smell in there. If someone is chewing gum she will begin asking people who is chewing gum and wnat to know what kind it is. If you ever wear a nasty perfume M will be the first one to let you know! Ah, the honesty!
Angela
Feb 19, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Smells are a big deal here too, but for all of us. Kool-Aid shoes, eh? Hmmm…don’t think I’ll be rushing right out for those. lol
mayfly
Feb 19, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Smell is my daughter’s most trusted sense. She sniffs new food carefully before deciding whether it’s worth eating.
Indeed it is smell that seems to determine whether she will try to eat a non-food item.
She sniff’s people, I’m not sure why.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Feb 19, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Charlie sniffs his hand after shaking someone else’s. He’s never been at all interested in any sweet smells, like flowers.
I’ve been in the 15% of non-perfume wearers my whole life.
Emily
Feb 19, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Smell is huge here. TH cannot *stand* the smell of hash browns from fast food restaurants (he yells and complains loudly), and he smells *everything* he gets near. I’m also a real smell-o-phobe. If someone wearing perfume gets near me, it’s overwhelming. I can’t stand it.
m
Feb 20, 2008 at 8:06 am
for me, smell is something that has changed considerably over the years. as a kid, sense of smell was very intense…some things (like crayons) were alluring…other things (like scissors), were repellant, elicited nausea. Today, in my 30’s, it’s just not the same. The intensity of smell has faded quite a bit. I think I acclimated to the scent of reality.
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