I know, I know. Every kid is different. Some are blonde, and others have dark, glossy hair. Some can hit a ball straight into left field and some like to eat pancakes and some create large, complicated cities in Minecraft. There are kids who spend entire afternoons quietly reading, and kids who run and jump […]
Lately I’ve been taking a few minutes after my son Jack has a meltdown to sit and talk with him. I want to know more about what it felt like, what set him off, and how maybe next time we can do things differently. Now that he’s thirteen, he can answer me a little better. […]
Dear Jack, Next week is your birthday. You are turning thirteen. Whenever I think about your birthday, my stomach kind of drops like I’ve been riding on a really big roller coaster. Don’t get me wrong. I love you. I love the day you were born. I am so glad you are my son. It’s […]
Last week, someone named Brian sent me the following message: Let’s say the medical community announced they have a cure for autism. It’s a 15-second shot in the arm. It has no side effects, and twenty minutes after your son receives it, poof! He would turn into a perfectly normal boy. Would you give him […]
My son Jack has autism. Sometimes this makes him sad. Other times it makes him angry, and frustrated, and scared. When Jack was very small I had to take him for a lot of tests so we could figure out why he didn’t talk and he screamed so much and slept so little. We were […]
My son has autism. There is no cure. At least, I don’t think there’s a cure. I mean, if there is, I haven’t heard about it. Oh sure, there are therapies and diets and ways to modify his behavior and medicine to help with his crushing anxiety. These are all very, very good things—great things, […]
Hi. My name is Carrie Cariello. I am forty-two years old. I am married to a man named Joe and we have five children. Twelve years ago, I gave birth to a baby boy with a neurological disorder called autism. It impacts the way he eats, sleeps, talks, and thinks. He is considered special needs, […]
I really enjoyed chatting with you tonight. This resort is beautiful isn’t it? Our kids just love it. Yes, we have five. Yep, only one girl. She recently decided to cut her hair short and in the airport someone thought she was a boy. She wasn’t too happy about that. I know you saw us […]
Hey there! It’s nice to see you! I know, it’s so warm out today! Feels like spring. I do, I have five kids. Did we plan on that many? Well, not exactly. We’d had our fourth—our only girl—and then my husband, Joe, made an appointment. You know, the kind of appointment a man makes when he […]
I was in Target the other day and I ran into a mom who has a son the same age as my son, Jack. I think they were in third grade together, and again in fifth. We stood chatting in the aisle, about the price of baseball cleats and some other things, and just as I […]