The Breaking Point
A year or so ago, I - like so many others in the Atlanta area - began watching the trial of Hemy Neuman, a man who was eventually convicted of killing the husband of a woman he was in love with as he...
View ArticleNot Invincible
Author's Note: I have held on to this post for several weeks because it mentions our lost little love and - well - I couldn't quite revisit that nightmare at the moment.However, hearing that a fellow...
View ArticleOn Preventing Crimes Against Autistics - An Open Letter to Autistic and Ally...
Author's note: I am fully aware that I may be opening myself up to criticism from a great many. I may be stirring the pot. However, I believe so strongly in this - that it's time we set aside the petty...
View ArticleThe Space Between
When there are two sides, there is always someone who falls in the middle. Take divorce. If your parents get divorced, its easy to feel stuck in the space between your parents' anger towards each...
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Yes, It Has Everything to Do with Autism: On Misinterpreting Behavior
That behavior - getting upset like that - is just so much like a typical child!He could tell us what he's thinking if he wanted to; he's just being manipulative.He just doesn't want to listen.He's...
View ArticleFear and Misconceptions (and a Haircut)
Intolerance and misunderstanding. It comes in many forms. I think that - as a whole - we have been incredibly lucky that the overwhelming majority of people that we encounter with Jack have been...
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This is Not Our Autism
Yet we’ve for the most part lost touch with three million American children, and as a nation we’ve done nothing.We’ve let families split up, go broke and struggle through their days and years.No more....
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This is Autism...Through Jack's Eyes
Author's note: Today brings forth an initiative from the autistic and ally community to show the world just whatautism is in light of Suzanne Wright's controversial op-ed piece in which she repeatedly...
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Comfort Items
Jack has a comfort item. He has for some time. This particular item isn't one of his usual items, though. Currently on Jack's bed you will find 3 plastic eggs and a battery-operated alarm clock. The...
View ArticleTo Absent Friends
I'm supposed to be remaining stress-free. I'm supposed to keep my blood pressure low. I have to hold it together. This morning, I fell apart. That's because I read the confirmation that Avonte...
View ArticleThe Block
I started writing again. There is much to say - so much to say - but sometimes having too much to say is worse than nothing at all. Why? Because you feel you must temper it all and condense it into one...
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I Don't Fear Autism
Since I went public with my pregnancy with Andrew, I have been surprised - to say the least - at the comments I have heard in response. I think - I hope - that the overwhelming intent is to be...
View ArticleThe Middle Way
This post comes out of many attempts to wrap my head around the state of the autism community in the past several months. It came to a head over the past week or so as I've seen both autistics and...
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Opinions on The Biggest Loser (from a Feeding Mom)
Confession time: I used to watch The Biggest Loser. Indeed, I got really into it at one time. Before I got pregnant with Jack, I did Weight Watchers for a while and The Biggest Loser seemed to fit into...
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So, You Think Your Child Has a Feeding Disorder?
Dear friend,Yes...you. The person who has seen me post about about my son's feeding challenges and is certain that your child has a feeding disorder as well. You worry about nutrition and it makes...
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The Pink Balloon
It was a day like any other. No one really knew just how much that day hurt. I just couldn't share it, not then. But now, maybe I have the strength. Jack went to school. Brian went to work. Buses came...
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Why Jack - and Georgia - Need Ava's Law
Today we had our quarterly visit with our developmental pediatrician, Dr. DP. I feel like a broken record sometimes when we see him, not because he asks repeated irrelevant questions, but because I am...
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Why Would You Have Another?
Since I went public with my pregnancy with Andrew, I have been surprised - to say the least - at the comments I have heard in response. I think - I hope - that the overwhelming intent is to be...
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State of Emergency
If you have access to American news at all, you are probably aware of one thing about my beloved Atlanta...we have been in the midst of some wild Winter weather patterns. While Atlanta is no stranger...
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That Boy in Your Child's PSR Class
As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or...
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About a Boy
I never believed in miracles. A person strongly founded in my belief in science and reason, I have a tendency to mute my own faith with the knowledge that most aspects of life are explainable. I felt...
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Balancing Acts
No one quite tells you just how difficult it is to make the leap from one child to two. With two children, you run out of things easily. You don't have enough hands to hold or carry everyone. You don't...
View ArticlePandora's Box (And Why the SCOTUS/Hobby Lobby Decision Affects UsSpecial...
I'm Catholic. Im a Mass-going, Eucharist-taking, Confession-attending Catholic. I go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. I teach Religious Education to preschoolers in my parish. I'm pretty...
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To My Fellow Gymboree Moms: Some Thoughts on Child Development
You. Yes, you! You're a first time mom, younger than me, and still in your twenties (hey, it happens when it takes you 5 years to have a second baby). You've openly admitted that you have your baby in...
View ArticleYou're Doing Okay
Mom,I see it in your eyes. You're scared. You think it's not enough. Too little. Too late. There's not enoughTimeMoneyResources Providers ServicesKnowledge. You feel like a failure. Why can't I calm...
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