The door leading out to the garage opens. I know who is coming in. It’s Brady, my beautifully unique and incredibly challenging autistic child. At times, he moves like a reckless elephant. I can tell you if it is Brady coming down the stairs or not. He moves with speed…
My son with autism is verbal, but sometimes I find myself wondering:Are we stuck? Are we self-soothing? Are we trying to process what we are currently seeing, hearing or thinking about? What’s going on in that unique brain of yours, Brady? Daddy wanted a group picture after a long walk…
On the second day of school, as he sits at the counter eating his breakfast, Brady asks me:“Mom, am I weird?”I know that's a word usually said with negative intent, especially when kids are using it to label children who seem so different. Like my Brady.I take a deep breath…
He runs to me after only 15 minutes since arriving to a place that, in terms of sensory needs, should be a utopia for a child who loves to jump and climb. But Brady is now by my side, looking up at me. His face is distressed, and his eyes…
While eating breakfast, Brady asks, “Would a dinosaur’s dollar be as big as that door?”These are serious questions from a pensive, imaginative eater every morning at breakfast. It can be challenging to answer such left-field questions about a vast range of topics. I do my best to give serious and…
“BIG ONE, BIG ONE!! WATCH OUT!” I hear my oldest yell out to his three siblings who are in the ocean with him. It’s a serene morning; a luminous sky arching across the vast open beach, and the pounding waves are providing all the excitement they need. As soon as…
“I hope she is still on this Earth,” Brady whispers under his breath with some apprehension as we drive to the beach for the first time this summer. “Mom, is she still on this Earth?” I know exactly who he is talking about. It’s Ms. April, Brady’s 85-year-old surrogate grandma…
Sam the crocodile lived in a large warm lake with lots of friends who thought they knew him very well. Sam was 57 years old and had inhabited the same lake since he was a wee little hatchling. In fact, Sam was one of the oldest crocodiles in his lake,…
I’ve always believed that it is better to focus on what’s going right rather than dwell too much on what’s not going so well. Even in the worst of times, there are things to be thankful for. If we practice shifting our mind and forcing ourselves to think upon a…
Dearest Reagan, On the brink of your 6th grade graduation from elementary school, I wanted to share with you how proud I am of you and all of the ways I’ve seen you grow. You are my first-born child and the oldest of four. You are the leader of the…
