Wheels turning in his head

Attack
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Last week I attended Alex's parent teacher conference, and what was discussed is what you would expect; he is gifted in the classical sense, and he will never have academic problems. All he needs to do is contain his personality a bit more. During the discussion, his teacher, who adores him, talked about how he was special. Alex immediately responded by asserting that everyone is special.

This was not lip service, or an Eddie Haskell imitation. I know this because I was watching him, and as he said it he was staring off into space. Alex does not have eye contact problems, but when he is in thought his eyes lose their focus or he stairs at the ground; it is as if he is trying to turn them off, so they don't distract him. I divine this, because I do the same thing. The easiest time to observe this is when he is playing pretend; he will pace about staring at the earth as he collaborates in a fantasy with his brother, and if you look close enough, you can see the wheels turning in his head.
RAP (3.17.2008)