My son Henry helped me write this post. Over the course of the last week, I asked him all kinds of questions about his brother Jack and his autism. I listened to him talk about his memories and his experiences and his feelings, and I tried to piece it all together and paint the complicated, […]
My son Henry helped me write this post. Over the course of the last week, I asked him all kinds of questions about his brother Jack and his autism. I listened to him talk about his memories and his experiences and his feelings, and I tried to piece it all together and paint the complicated, […]
Dear Jack, As your mother, I worry a lot. There are things I worry about every day, and there are things I worry about every once in a while, and then there are things that keep me up late at night while Daddy snores next to me in bed, and the house is all quiet […]
When my son Jack was about four years old, I lost him in the mall. I was pulling a sweater on over my clothes to see if it would fit, and in the three seconds it took for me to poke my head through the fabric, he was gone. One minute, he was there, standing […]
Lately my son Jack is very, very angry. He is not himself, although to be honest, I don’t even know what he looks like as himself, since we constantly ebb and flow through good days and bad—smooth, sunny sailing juxtaposed against rocky waters with a lot of wind. Who is he? Who is this boy? […]
My 13-year old son Jack has autism, and every day I read something new about what caused it. In the past week alone, I have seen the following headlines: Women of advanced maternal age are more likely to give birth to children with autism. Air pollution is the leading cause of autism. Don’t use Windex. I was […]
I saw you the other night, and I know you saw us. You know, when you looked at my son Jack jumping and hopping all over the restaurant. You looked at him quickly and then you dropped your eyes really fast to your menu. Listen, I get it. I really do. He had chocolate frosting […]
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 […]
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 […]
