#ted wheeler appreciation post

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

In season one, when Mike was yelling about looking for Will, and Karen yelled back at him. Yelling at him was wrong, and she later corrected that. But Mike was scared, and he wanted to look for his friend. Autistic Ted Wheeler, who doesn't pick up on social ques very well, said to Mike: "Do you see what you did?" Or something like that. Which isn't the best thing to say, but neither was yelling at a scared kid either. Ted probably didn't understand what Mike did was wrong. He was only following up on what Karen did, and then Karen yelled at him. She was the one who upset Mike. Karen is clearly the alpha who wants another alpha, but Ted's like a beta, and he's definitely a follower. The problem with their relationship is that they definitely don't understand each other. Karen clearly doesn't have the patience to be with a neurodivergent and she doesn't have it with her own kids either. She's a great mom, not perfect, but great. They both are. Ted doesn't necessarily doesn't have to be with someone who who is ND, but maybe someone who understands it better, who can explain things without yelling at him. And just like that, I'm back on my Ted and Claudia ship. She would be perfect for him. I can't think of anyone who'd match Karen except for Joyce and Sue, but they're taken, unless. . .Honestly, Ted and Karen might work better together if they both realize they need to get a divorce. Neither one of them are perfect but they both try.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

I just love Ted so much. Reading about people back then who hadn't had the access we did, who didn't have the same information about autism we do now. Autistic people like Ted who constantly get accused of being lazy, of being picky, of being weird, and get accused of not caring. Little Ted Wheeler, who gets put into special rooms and whose father tries to "toughen him up." A father who tries to beat the weird out of him. He does anything he can to get his son to act normal and even gets him to do things he doesn't like. All Ted wants to do is to read and go on adventures with the animals he finds in the backyard. Not just animals, but bugs too that he gave names to. All his father wants is for his son to stop being a freak. All Ted wants is his father to stop, so he pretends, and he does the things his father wants him to do. So, Ted puts himself into this box, and he puts on this mask. He tries not to be like this father, though, and so he holds back at home, but at the end of the day, his mask cracks. There's just some things he can't stop from coming through, and sometimes, he wonders if his family would like him if he knew about all of his ticks. . .how noise overwhelms him, how he rocks back and forth sometimes. . .how he hits himself. . .so he holds himself back to protect himself and the kids. Better safe than sorry.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Doesn't know how to deal with his emotions. Not great at physical contact or eye contact. Funny as hell but doesn't have the best filter. Not great at social ques. Gets accused of not caring but probably cares more than anyone. Smart but also gets accused of being dumb. All these are symptoms of autism and these are also very much Ted and Michael Wheeler. The only reason we don't get to see Ted spend enough time with his other kids is because they're both traumatized teenagers who thinks their dad doesn't care and also there wasn't enough time to put that in there. We only get a glimpse of Ted because there wasn't enough screen time. The one thing we do know: is that Karen married him because he was safe. Just because she isn't in love with him, doesn't mean he has to be a terrible father or husband. It never made sense to me why people love Mike but hate Ted. Michael Wheeler is 100% is father's son.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Manifesting that they just don't have Ted die with his kids thinking he doesn't care. I hope he doesn't die at all, but if he does die, which is probably likely, I hope his kids know he loves them and that he's never been useless. I hope that there's a scene between him, Mike, and Nancy where they discover that they all struggle with people thinking they're assholes and that it doesn't appear that they give a shit or that they're prissy but the truth is that they care more than anyone. There's also a scene where they talk about how hard it is to pick up on certain social cues. . .*sigh* I love autistic Wheelers.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Manifesting a Wayne Munson and Ted Wheeler friendship.

"Yeah, some people think cause I don't talk much that I don't care neither," Wayne would tell him. "Like I have always told Eddie, people will see what they want to see. If all they see you as are the people in their lives who hurt them, that's all they'll see unless they decide otherwise. People won't change their minds unless they want to. Can't do it for 'em."

"I thought you don't talk much," Ted said.

"Asshole," Wayne smirked.

"Sorry about Eddie," Ted said. "Mike says he's a good man. I didn't know him. I wasn't sure what to think of him at first. . ."

"You change your mind?" Wayne asked.

"Yeah."

"You're better than most."

"I caught Mike crying in the mirror and cutting his hair. I helped him fix it. I told him how sorry I was. He yelled at me that he didn't believe me and that I didn't give two shits," Ted sighed.

"It breaks your heart, doesn't it? When they think you don't give a damn?" Wayne asked.

"Every damn day," he whispered.

"We're going to save this town even if they went after my boy. I'm gonna prove them all wrong," Wayne said.

"I'll help," Ted said.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

The more videos of hedgehogs I watch, the more like Ted Wheeler I become. I, too, like hedgehogs. I wonder if he asked Karen if they could get one, and she said no. He's probably been pouting about it in his chair for years. Season one Ted spaces out because he's thinking about hedgehogs. Meanwhile, his son is hiding a girl in his basement.

"Our son can have an entire person in our basement, but I can't have one TINY hedgehog."

"TED!"

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Ted Wheeler is a good dad and husband. This is just another reminder that he loves his kids. He's present in their lives, loves them, and gives them a place to call home. He doesn't abuse them or neglect them. He can put his foot in his mouth because his social skills aren't that great due to his autism. He's a lot like Mike, and Nancy does get some things from her mother, but she also gets some things from her father. Maybe Ted isn't the best at showing physical affection, but again, neither is Nancy or Mike. You say that Ted is useless, but it's because you're all missing the moments where he does try.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Nancy and Mike are autistic like their dad. I don't know about Holly, but I think Karen might be neurotypical. Ted at home is autistic burnout from having to deal with masking so much from work, and when he comes home, he feels like he doesn't have to mask. Yeah, he puts his foot in his mouth like Mike has, and Nancy's been blunt on occasions, but he doesn't understand. What did he do? It's difficult, just like it's difficult for Nancy and Mike. I love Autistic Wheelers. I say this as someone with autism and who lives in neurodivergent family. I love Ted, Nancy, Mike, Holly, and Karen (when she's not lusting after her daughter's schoolmates).