Extra-Large: Raising A Son With Special Needs

Dressing Willie in nice cloths has always been important to me. It's true that if he looks good, people will respond better to him. Because Willie hates trying on clothing and even taking him shopping has it's perils, I often find myself wandering the aisles on my own, providing nice, cool cloths for my Willie.

Willie has always struggled with his weight. Food is a trigger. Food is a preferred activity. Excess is a given. Walking is a non-sequitur. Any exercise at all is frowned upon. When your body is hit with brain damage and doesn't cooperate well with your mind, why bother moving it more then you have to? I get it!

As I have shopped for clothing for Willie through the years, I have made my way up through the sizes. First, I had to buy Husky sizes when he was in Boy's clothing.  Then I always had to find pants with elastic that  still looked fabulous. These days Willie prefers a belt and ripped jeans along with his brown, woolen cloak, topped off with his awesome cowboy boots.

Lately, Willie has been secretly eating foods in the middle of the night. We were informed of this last week. Cookie Dough. Ice Cream. Shrimp. Hoping he isn't eating it raw and frozen. This disturbing new trend only adds to my worry about his increasing size and health implications.

So yesterday off I went on another shopping trip. I bought a new size for my Willie: all Extra-Large cloths. My heart has dropped. For even though, I saw sizes bigger then Extra-Large hanging on the racks, I know that Willie needs to stop putting on the pounds now more then ever. This predicament just represents the quandary we are in with Willie to a tee. Is it his personal right to eat what he pleases, when he pleases, in the amounts that he pleases? Or can we/they limit this? Please let the answer be the latter, for I don't want to go shopping ever for that XX-Large!