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 […]
Listen, I know you’re unsure about it. You’re nervous. It’s understandable. But the thing, is a lot of people are doing it already. They love it. They can’t get enough. Every week, they go back for more. If you’re really lucky, your insurance will even pay for it. Come on, you know what I’m talking about, […]
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 […]
I never wanted to be The Person. You know, The Person—the one in a marriage who handles all the kid stuff, like changing the diapers and checking the homework folder and buying shoes. (The Person is also known as the Default Parent, The Micromanager, or the Helicopter Mom.) I did pretty well for the first […]
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. […]
Last Sunday, it finally felt like spring in New Hampshire. Oh sure, we still snow on the ground, but the temperature was above freezing for the first time in a week. The air felt lighter, like it was full of promise. It had been a rocky morning. My 12-year old son Jack was really mad […]
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 […]