What did you think when he walked into the room? Maybe he was talking about soda—the difference between Pepsi and Coke. Or street maps. He memorizes street maps. I know how he looked, this 6’5” tall boy with a laptop under his arm. He looked weird. He looked weird and out of control. He was […]
What did you think when he walked in for his appointment? Maybe you saw a tall boy with glasses and thought nothing about it at all. Then he rubbed his hands together fast, like he’s warming up at a campfire. Or he hopped from one foot to the other, trying to regulate his nervous system. […]
Tender Mama, Forever Father. I know how nervous you are to begin this new school year. I know because I was you. I know because I am you. The days are still warm and bright, but the sun shines a little differently now. The air is tinged with change as summer comes to a close. […]
I had the son who bit the teacher. I had the son who couldn’t wait in line at the zoo, or sit through a meal in a restaurant, or play tag at recess. I had the son who slept fitfully and woke at dawn. I had the son people stared at in the grocery store. […]
My husband Joe and I have been married for twenty-four years. This is half my life. Once upon a time, he and I stood upon a concrete campus, hands clasped. My heart was racing. The trees glowed with autumn sunshine. If we knew all that was ahead of us, would we have stayed there, fingers intertwined? […]
“It’s funny, but as a kid, you also kind of watch your parents grow up.” We had been joking about grey hair and reading glasses—the impending signs of middle age. I turned to see his profile next to me in the passenger seat—this 16-year old son of mine who is so full of life, he […]
I was in a hotel gym recently, running on the treadmill. I struck up a conversation with the guy next to me. He was in town touring a college for his son. “He is very smart,” he remarked casually as he fiddled with his laces. “Like really smart.” Sometimes comments like this mean nothing to […]
Once upon a time, a baby boy was born. In a small apartment in Brooklyn, New York, people came to welcome the infant. A young man named Anthony. A 16-year old girl named Adua. Carefully, they smiled at one another across the room. Two years later, they were married. They had six kids. Their six […]
How can the sun rise if she’s not here to see it? Being a daughter-in-law can be weird. I think we can all agree on that. You raised him, I’d banter. But you married him, she’d counter. Over the years I carried my petty gripes to her like so many green apples in a pail. The […]
I am married to a man named Joe. We have four boys and one girl. Our second Jack is diagnosed with autism. He is eighteen. What can I tell you about my husband? He doesn’t have a middle name. He loves calamari, Wordle, board games of any kind, the Buffalo Bills, and watching thunderstorms from the […]