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 »

“They always come back.”This was a simple sentence from a friend, a father of four adults, in a conversation about my 12-year-old son.It was not that long ago I would have done anything for a few minutes of breathing room from my kids. It’s quite the opposite these days, and it’s been interesting to observe… Read more »

Social media can be a wasteland at times, but it has been a tremendous asset to us over the years when it comes to our special needs kid.The challenges of parenting vary with each child. In our house, our issues are complex with our 11- and 12-year-old adopted boys, but we take great comfort in… Read more »

Beckett had mid-term exams this week to wrap up the semester.Therefore, I’m exhausted. I have not studied so much since college.Since it has become painfully evident our guy doesn’t really grasp the concept of studying yet, I set out on a mission last week to invest some time with him, teaching him how to prepare… Read more »

Some of the best parenting advice I ever got was to enjoy the kids while they are young and simple because it only gets harder.When I was swimming in dirty diapers, sleepless nights and toddler tantrums over nothing, it was the last thing I wanted to hear. Life was tough then, but it required physical… Read more »

The 12-year-old kid in the house has a different view of independence than his parents.Independence is something to be earned not given. In Beckett’s mind, he should be allowed to do what he wants simply because a friend or two can. Entitlement comes to mind when listening to his rationalization.If a friend can stay on… Read more »