I think of you as a person sometimes. I really do. You are the third wheel, or the uninvited guest to a party—the one who shows up empty-handed and eats all the chips with the good dip and stays way after everyone else leaves, telling boring stories and bragging about the glory days of high […]
Hey, Jack. You know how you have autism, right? I mean, we’ve never kept it a secret. It’s something we talk about a lot, actually. We talk about how, because of autism, your brain sometimes stays stuck on certain ideas, and you have a lot of fears about ordinary things, and your body jumps and twitches […]
My 13-year old son Jack has autism. Over time, people have asked me many, many questions about both him and his diagnosis. Is it mild? Is it severe? Is it, you know, bad? I never, ever mind when someone asks me a question. In fact, I love it. I want to tell you all about him and […]
Today you told me you hated me. I know you were very angry and frustrated and you probably didn’t mean it but still, it stung. I know you were shocked when I told you about your new school schedule, and how it’s been extended to include August as well as July. I know how much you […]
I wanted to write you a note and apologize for my reaction yesterday. You know, when you asked if I could tell you a little bit about my son Jack? I’m sorry I couldn’t come up with a better answer. I guess I was taken aback a little. Don’t get me wrong—it’s a great question, […]
Jack asked me what I was writing about this week, which is kind of unusual. He almost never does that. I told him I am writing about our friend Sebastian. He asked why, and I said because I want people to know Sebastian, just like I want people to know him. What I didn’t say […]
I went back to work when my first son, Joey, was six weeks old. He went to a charming little day care around the corner for my office, and we just loved it. Except for one problem. When he moved into the toddler room, he was in class with a kid who bit. Day after […]
You may not know this, but a couple of months ago I un-friended you on Facebook. I mean, we weren’t exactly friends in the regular sense. We never met for coffee or talked on the phone or texted each other. We don’t even live in the same state, and I haven’t seen you in over […]
It’s May now. The days are longer and warmer, and the air feels soft. Summer is so close, it’s as though we can reach out our fingers and touch it. Your backpacks are probably all worn out and have a bunch of stuff rolling around in the bottom—elastic bands and fidget spinners and old worksheets you forgot to […]
