I am sure that most of you know where this blog is going. For some of my new followers, let me give you a brief history with Sydney, Amazon and Fios. Sydney amazes me at how smart she is. She has acquired new skills that she doesn’t always share. Her keyboarding skills and knowledge to navigate websites and computers is amazing.
Two years ago Sydney bought several movies from Fios. When I called customer service to discuss the charge of over $100 and request a refund. The representative politely told me to set the parental controls and have a nice day. Okay, I will take that as a learning experience. I immediately set the parental controls on all of the remotes. I then watched Sydney try to order a new movie again. I was glad to see her ability to type and select the movie she wanted. She was not happy about the parental controls.
Sydney loves Amazon. Her spelling has improved because of Amazon. She loves to search for different things. I tried to show her that if she was missing the ending sounds she could click on the word that appeared in search bar. She didn’t want to do that she wanted to learn how to spell it herself.
I underestimated Sydney. She was able to shop on Amazon. I wasn’t sure if she used one-click pay or went through the checkout process. I overlooked the email and within two days her packages arrived. Then I put it all together she ordered toys, movies and clothes in the right sizes. I hid the packages and gave them to her for her birthday and Christmas.
These incidents made me realize that I had to secure all of our electronics and really monitor her use. She’s been reading books on her kindle. I set the parental controls and blocked everything. Or at least I thought I did. My friend Michele came over to visit. Sydney didn’t like being ignored. She wanted me to read a book to her. I told her she would have to wait. So, she covered up in her weighted blanket on the couch. I didn’t pay attention to the email notifications going off on my phone. When Michele left I checked my email. Sydney had charged $150.00 in books within the hour.
As soon as I looked at her she gave me that puppy dog look and tried to sneak upstairs. That my friends is not autism. I called Amazon and they know we are repeat offenders. But Danielle from Amazon was great. She told me that Sydney found the parental control setting and unblocked everything, since she didn’t have the parental control password. I think that her determination is amazing but not at the expense of my bank account.
The kindle is on lock down and the books will be refunded. Sydney continues to prove that autism doesn’t define her. She is very aware of her surroundings and knows more than she shows others sometimes. She is one smart cookie.
Be sure to lock all devices if we come to visit and hide your remote controls.
Happy Monday
A Woman's Work - Brooke Basically Blogging 