Living history

My 11yo son, who has autism, reads at about a 2nd- or 3rd-grade level, and often makes me wonder if much is sticking with him, had two “history breakthroughs” today.  First, he told his grandfather about the Military Timeline event we were to attend this afternoon at a local historical society.  His grandfather began talking about the British planning to sieze gunpowder and artillery at Concord, Massachusetts.  As he mentioned the battle at Concord, I heard my son whisper, “And Lexington, don’t forget Lexington!” and moments later he mumbled, “Didn’t they call that ‘the shot heard around the world?'”

I smiled at that, but not as broadly as when we arrived at the event later.  As we drew close to the exhibits and passed a ‘soldier’ cleaning a musket at a French and Indian War encampment, my son loudly declared, “Now, this is all the history lesson I need!”