It's happened again. Just when I thought I finally settled on a proper label for my parenting style another is invented, describing me to a T. Move your barstool over, helicopter mom, I am a lawnmower mom! And let's not forget the scarlet A asterisk, for autism that is. Imagine my horror as I
Good morning from Carlin Park in beautiful Jupiter, Florida Nothing screams ENDLESS summer more than raising a child with autism. All you need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and you're fine, they say? Not so fast, brah. Fourteen years into this, I can honestly say I still feel like a
My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! -William Shakespeare Yeah, I said it. I hate you, son- right now, that is. First (petty) things first: you reek. Whoever coined the term "blossoming" to describe puberty has not experienced an afternoon with you, sans
According to Justin Bieber, everybody gets high sometimes. Man I love that kid. When your life is up in the air because you are raising a child with special needs, you sometimes feel like as if you're existing on a completely different plane than everyone else. I vaguely remember that term of geometry, yet it so
image credit http://blog.umbiedentalcare.com/ Over the weekend, J.R. lost a tooth. The good news? I'm not sure I can report any. The bad news? Amazon Prime doesn't yet drone packages to my door in an hour's time. I am screwed. You see, J.R. could not care less about money. I won't mention
Gluten, sulfites, and casein OH MY! / image via today.com If you haven't seen Bad Moms, please stop reading this and RUN to your nearest theater. If you have to arrange a sitter (adding a side of guilt), great! You'll relate to the characters' plight even more. This story of three stressed out moms produces one belly
image via madebyfolks.tumblr.com/ My son J.R. was diagnosed with autism at age three. On that horrific day I came home and collapsed in bed, crying. I cried myself to sleep, woke the next morning, then repeated the process. For three days. I felt as if I were thrust into The Octogon to face
photography by Alison Frank The last time I sat down to write, I could hear beautiful noises from across the hall. You were in your room, making crashing and exploding sounds to animate a war between Ironman and a Transformer. Starsceam, I think. You spied me tapping at my keyboard, then bounded toward me- all
photo by Alison Frank Photography It isn't lost on this sign-seeking girl that Autism Awareness Month begins on a day dedicated to pranks. Joke's on me; I get it- I'm the fool. Twenty-four hours later, the punchline to the gut persists as World Autism Awareness DAY commences. Ha! Over the years I've gone from
Boy oh boy, was ten fantastic. I want to say it was J.R.'s best year. He blossomed socially, trudged through academically, and held it together mentally. Professionals (okay, his teachers, who I bribe) even threw around the terms perseverant and scientific to describe J.R.'s attitude toward his studies. At home, his independence is emerging; I am hopeful, for
