I Know What Causes Autism
What Does Autism Look Like?
I keep a small green box on my desk, and inside are all the letter tiles from an old game of Scrabble. When I sit at my laptop to write, and the words won’t come, I remind myself that inside this box is every sonnet, play, song, and story ever written. Romeo and Juliet. Little […]
It Could Be My Son
My oldest son, Joseph, just started driver’s ed. We usually call him Joey, but lately he’s asked that we call him Joseph, on account of him being fifteen-and-a-half and all. For the uninitiated, driver’s ed is a formal course where teenagers learn how to drive. It’s a combination of classroom work, and time in the […]
Let This Be the Year
Let this be the year we hold the door for one another. We smile at strangers. We plant a tree. We grow a tomato. We stop arguing about red and white and blue and orange. This year, I want to do things. I want to pet my beloved puppy at least a hundred […]
One Ordinary Day
I wrote this piece after conducting extensive research. And by extensive research, I mean asking my son Jack a bunch of questions and hoping he would answer me. All in all, we had some good conversation, which isn’t always the case. Dear Santa, My name is Jack Cariello. I am fourteen years old, and I am very excited for Christmas this […]
Please, Don’t Forget About Him
Joseph. Joey. My firstborn child, my oldest son. I want to talk to you about something. It’s kind of important. See, lately I’ve been thinking about how, one day, Daddy and I aren’t going to be around anymore. This is a very scary thought for me. I never want to leave any of you behind. […]
It’s Never About the Cup: An Honest Holiday Letter
Season’s greetings, friends and family! I am happy to report the Cariello family had a wonderful 2018. My husband Joe and I are doing well, and all five kids are happy, healthy, and active. We now have three teenage boys in the house. They eat like you can’t even imagine. The other day I snapped […]
I Try to Remember
When the sound of your 6-foot–size-13-shoe self jumping hopping grunting stimming threatens my very sanity, I try to remember. I try to remember how it might feel to live inside your body. I try to remember all the times I held your little hand in mine. Fingers dancing against my palm, desperate […]
Because of a Boy
Because of a boy, I know things. I kind of wish I didn’t. But I do. I know unconditional love it not easy love. Oh, it is not. Unconditional love is gritty, hold-your-head-in-your-hands hard. It is determined. It is raw. It is a choice. Because of a boy, I know that being alone is […]
Rage Has No Place Here
Hi. I’m not sure if you remember me. You were standing behind my son Jack and I in Panera this afternoon. He had just finished ordering his macaroni and cheese in a bread bowl with a side of bread. As we were walking over to get our drinks, you reached out and touched my arm […]