This is Autism.It’s what was going through my mind Tuesday morning when Carson was having a meltdown.Autism presents itself uniquely in each kid, confirming the term “spectrum” is apt. The traits of each special needs individual can vary greatly. Autism looks different every day. Some days are better than others.As April is Autism Awareness Month,… Read more »

My family is in an interesting period along this parenting journey.We are clearly making a major transition as the boys, 12 and 11 years old, respectively, are changing and gravitating away from their parents.The differences in our days currently compared to years ago are vast and bring on mixed emotions.Easter morning was yet another example… Read more »

(Frankly, this week got away from me with work and kid appointments. Therefore, here’s a previous post-Easter weekend column from 2012 when my boys were 3 and 2 years old, respectively.)Easter weekend has quietly become one of my favorite times of the year.This year, in particular, was quite significant for my family on several fronts,… Read more »

It only took a few minutes for me to remember how much my kids love hotels.It’s been about a year since my boys have been anywhere outside the area. With Beckett on spring break last week, we opted for a few nights at the Hyatt in Cambridge. Pam and Beckett went Wednesday for some time… Read more »

It’s natural as a parent of two boys, 12 and 11 years old, to wonder what it would be like with girls.I have a good buddy with two daughters and therefore get to see a few times of year the differences between the boys and girls for extended periods of time. When the kids are… Read more »

As a follow-up to last week’s rambling about the wonders of raising teens, and specifically getting them to do homework without brawling, a friend sent me a snip of an image that hit home. Thanks to Ryan Kirby for sending it my way courtesy of @raisingteenstoday.The image contained the following text:“How A Teenager Does HomeworkGoes… Read more »

How hard to push is a constant mental battle with our kids.Expectations are a good thing, but it requires more intestinal fortitude from parents than I ever could have imagined. Though our home dynamic is unique with a kid with Autism, I think it’s true each kid must be parented differently.With our 12-year-old Beckett, maintaining… Read more »

Less is more.It’s something we always told our son Beckett, a talkative, live wire type, when he was in day care and elementary school. He was routinely in hot water for behavior related to talking too much about unrelated topics to the matter at hand as well as interrupting naptime at day care or the… Read more »

As I often mention in this space, I read a ton of parenting articles, especially online blogs written by special needs parents. I identify with the ups and downs due to our 11-year-old son Carson.For the first time in the 12 years I’ve been writing this column, I admit to some difficulty finding a topic… Read more »

A kid doctor’s appointment is not the ideal way to spend a day off from work, but Carson makes it enjoyable by being himself.Full travel days with our 11-year-old special needs son for medical appointment provide an opportunity to remember and reflect on how far he has come in his life. These sort of take-stock… Read more »