Oftentimes as a parent I find it difficult to understand why my son thinks the way he does. Then I have to remind myself he doesn't understand my way of thinking either. Sometimes an Aspie is so logical in their thinking it can drive us gray area people crazy! Sometimes you just have to stop & smile when their concept is not quite what it should be, but it totally fits in their way of thinking. Some of the Aspie's I know have absolutely no concept of money; and this would include my son. We were talking about the movie ticket prices one day & why I don't like to go see too many movies at the theatre anymore. I attempted to explain to him the amount of time it takes me to earn enough to pay for one ticket. He just didn't get it. "So?" He didn't understand that it takes more than an hour's pay to pay for just one ticket, not including popcorn & pop. That we need to be careful how we spend our money so we can pay our bills, have our home, food & all the things we enjoy. That connection just isn't there at this point. I hope someday it will be. I also know of another young Aspie in the area who struggles with this concept. For his birthday he told his parents he either wanted to take his friends to an exotic destination in another country, or just have a pizza party with his name spelled out with the toppings. In his mind there was no difference in the expense. Actually, I thought the pizza thing was a cool idea. He did realize his friends would have to pay for their own airline tickets, but the hotel would be provided. I love the way they think sometimes! If only things were this simple & in their minds they are. Although understanding money issues is important, but sometimes we make things more complicated than they need to be. Maybe we can't give our kids a trip to an exotic destination with their friends, but maybe we can do a night at an area hotel where there's an activity nearby they would enjoy. Amusement park, museum, zoo, etc. We love the National Parks & can usually afford the ones within driving distance. We're near the National Lakeshore & only about 7 hours from Mammoth Cave. In Central Indiana there's Turkey Run State Park with it's beautiful trails; east there is Pokhagon State Park, which has a great toboggan run! There is much to do all over this beautiful country & hopefully we can give them experiences they will remember forever! Maybe too, through all this they will learn you don't have to spend a lot to have a great time!