"Mom, how do you preheat the oven?"

My husband and I were out to dinner tonight.  Our son was very sleepy, most likely from the medication.  He decided to stay home and sleep instead of go out with us.  During dinner, my phone rang.  It was our son.  He wanted to know how to preheat the oven.  He said he was hungry and he wanted to make a frozen pizza.

Why is this a big deal?  This is a huge step for him.  First of all, he didn’t wait for me to cook for him or bring home take out.  Sometimes, he would just eat cereal ,fruit or not eat at all.   But this time, he actually looked in the freezer and chose a frozen pizza.  He took it out of the box and threw the plastic shrink wrap away.
He placed the pizza on a cookie sheet and baked it.  I have been cooking with him in the kitchen lately.  He must have been paying attention these past few weeks when I showed him how to work the oven.  I explained which buttons to press.  I even explained the “cook time” feature so the oven will shut off automatically after the cook time is finished. 
This is a shocking and amazing event!  There is hope that one day he will completely independent and live a happy fulfilling life.