There are things that occur in life we often describe as, “This is Autism.” The inexplainable situations that defy reason, but they are our reality.It may sound strange, but there are many positives that have come our family’s way because of Carson’s special needs. His greatest gift to us is perspective, as I often think… Read more »

“If there is hell, it was modeled after junior high school.”These are the words of comedian Lewis Black during a skit about the trials and tribulations of teens, puberty and school. Junior high school is now middle school. My son, Beckett, just completed his seventh-grade year at Worcester Prep.Unlike most, he was in-person all year…. Read more »

Yet.This is the uplifting message of hope in a book titled, “The Boy Who Couldn’t Speak, Yet,” written by Jordan Christian LeVan and illustrated by Isabella Millet.Several times over the years I have come into a room to find Pam on her phone listening to something in tears. When I get closer I hear a… Read more »

The thought of a “sleepover” makes me cringe.Having some buddies over for the night was one of Beckett’s wishes for his birthday earlier this month. Talks evolved from questions about how many kids he could have for a sleepover to whether we were going to make them go to sleep. We agreed three would be… Read more »

Getting our teenager vaccinated felt significant.When Beckett’s school sent out a notice about an upcoming vaccination clinic at AGH last week, Pam and I huddled and agreed we should sign him up. We both had some concerns as he had school and a lacrosse game the next day. We didn’t want him not feeling well.When… Read more »

Beckett’s 13th birthday this week seemed anticlimactic. It feels like he’s been a teenager for a long time.Monday night sums up our kid at this point in his life. He’s not much for details. He likes to live in a cloud, preferring a laidback approach, one involving having fun and not sweating (or even doing)… Read more »

It’s been a week of male bonding.Pam spent the week in New York with our new granddaughter Lana, who was born last Friday morning. This makes me a Pop Pop for the second time at the age of 45 and Pam far too young to be a two-time grandmother. Lana joins Zoe, 2, and her… Read more »

It was a short email. It read, “don’t sweat the small things, focus on the big stuff. Otherwise, you will drive yourself crazy.”This was from a man who read a recent column about the trials and tribulation of raising tweens. Coming from a father of four – three adult men and a woman, all in… Read more »

Nineteen months separate our two sons. Their personalities and approaches to life are as different as they come, but a unique connection seems to be building.In some ways, their relationship is like most brothers. There are ups and downs and disagreements over silly things. However, the brotherly relationship between Beckett, 12, and Carson, 11, is… Read more »

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 »