Saturday 14 April 2012

Living with Dyslexia - when it's not yours

There's quite a bit of dyslexia in my family. A lot of the time it's hard work, but from time to time we have a real laugh. Slogans such as "Dyslexics are teople poo" and "Dyslexics of the world UNTIE", arereally funny to us.
Sometimes however, it can leave me just scratching my head. The Ball & Chain has never been diagnosed with dyslexia (indeed, when we were growing up hardly anyone ever was), but boy is his spelling bad. For years he would send me e-mails of our travel arrangements, with the flight bookings etc apparently made on Untied Airlines instead of United. (I quite often type words in the worng order, but not the same wrong order every time!)

And now, in Costa Rica, trying to work out directions etc. with him is a feckin nightmare.

Me: So where are we going today?
B&C: Taramarenge. Didn't we already disucss this?
Me: Tara where? I can't even remember seeing that. Is it far?
B&C: We drove through it the other day and you said it looked nice.
Me: Oh....Tamarindo.

Me: So where do you fancy having dinner tonight?
B&C: Let's try the Carulia. We'd better call first and see if they have a table.
Me: Hmmm. Can't see it.
B&C: It's on the list.
Me: Would that be the Caracola Restaurant or the Cauri Lobby?
B&C: Yes, that one.

We drove two hours yesterday to a volcanic national park called Rincon de la Vieja, and he said it differently every time he read the map. Eventually I just typed it into my phone and used the GPS though. Saves a lot of time and confusion!

10 comments:

  1. I've really noticed that, having spent years now using abbreviations in his job, my DH's spelling is atrocious! But I've also discovered that I can at least beat him, hands down, at Scrabble! (you should see the words he tries to sneak in!)

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  2. Oh we are a family that mixes up words too, but I never even gave dyslexia a thought.
    I think my husband probably is but he's never really needed to do much in the way of writing...... being a builder all his life.

    Liked your ideas left in my comment box!
    Maggie X

    Nuts in May

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  3. Sounds like the GSP is ideal for your situation.

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  4. Its funny though how if you just have two letters correct in a word that it reads okay.

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  5. I suppose it can create some hilarious moments if it's not too important.

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  6. I think I am becoming dyslexic as I get older. Words come out wrong from what I am thinking I should say or sometimes don't come out at all and I find I am just standing there with my mouth open looking at husband or children with nothing to say. Maybe it's just talking to all the brick walls in my house, teenagers, husband...

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  7. Yup, Mother Hen, that'll do it every time.

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  8. Oh I bet when GPS was created they never knew they would be lending a hand with couples on a day trip in this way!

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  9. I feel your pain! Both my kids and my Ex are dyslexic, it's like being in an alternative universe sometimes. Not just spelling either, my Ex could write a whole letter, and indeed emails me a complex email with absolutely NO punctuation.

    Rant over!

    I wish I could remember the dyslexic joke about a man wearing a cat flap on his head (flat cap) - know, it's the way I tell them!

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  10. My husband is the same. Despite English not being his first language he has a stunning vocabulary and gift for subtlety but his spelling and punctuation are atrocious. It's as if his brain is two steps ahead of where he is on the page so a lot of words get missed out. And anything vaguely challenging to pronounce, he will invent his own version!

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