Whatnot and stuff

Whatnot is a favorite term Sonny uses, like Bye & Stuff, to signal that the conversation is over. He jokes that whatnot stands in for everything he doesn’t have to say while also managing eye contact and other nonverbal forms of communication that his social skills groups in school failed to address. In fact, in our family we refer often to the son with ASD whose mom asks why he never tells her he loves her. His succinct #unfiltered answer? “I told you once.” This led me and Sonny to discussing the platitude “love ya, love you” people use to close conversations or texts. I can’t think of something more insincere than to say something every single day, multiple times per day, and strip it of any meaning. You might as well close calls/texts with, “Bye & Stuff.”