A small speck in the universe Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Being part of something bigger is what everyone's experienced at least once in our lives, whether we recognise it then or not. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it's part of every human's DNA that we aspire towards being … Continue reading Connecting Caregivers – finally meeting a very special & overdue need
Category: Autism
The truth about ugly parenting – Alternation
I'm not a good parent. In fact, I often display downright ugly parenting! Why? Because I'm prone to violence, even if nine out of ten times I never follow through with what I'm tempted to do. And as for that tenth time that I do follow through? Let's just say that after my son gets … Continue reading The truth about ugly parenting – Alternation
Three more months and Caleb will be 10. But really, my son with autism is more like 5!
There's something that happens to a parent when his child turns from a single-digit birthday to a double. At least it does for this parent. I'm finding out that as January 2021 approaches, when Caleb turns 10, I seem to be caught up with a feeling of increasing anxiety that I can't quite explain. All … Continue reading Three more months and Caleb will be 10. But really, my son with autism is more like 5!
Life Hack Book Review #1 – On World Mental Health Day 2020
Today is World Mental Health Day and here's what I found out. According to WHO, one in four people in the world will at some point in their lives suffer from a mental or neurological disorder. Think about that for a sec. One. In. Four. So in places like the United Kingdom where gatherings involving … Continue reading Life Hack Book Review #1 – On World Mental Health Day 2020
Staying home for my son with autism – one dad’s life outside of a job title
Looking back, I guess we always suspected Caleb had special needs, which we later found out to be autism. This was a suspicion that we already sensed when he was a baby. He didn't sleep easily, drank milk with great difficulty, ate little, but cried a lot. Everyone we knew assured us a second child … Continue reading Staying home for my son with autism – one dad’s life outside of a job title
The day the world showed a new way it could hurt me
The World Can Hurt Me In Many More Ways. In Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina", the character Constantine had this to say when his wife gave birth and made them parents for the first time: "Now the world has so many ways to hurt me." Though no parent would ever say this aloud, I believe every parent … Continue reading The day the world showed a new way it could hurt me
“Three Wrongs Do Not An Essay Make” – How one memory derailed my writing plan
An editor approached me a couple of months back, asking if I would share with her readers my journey as a dad with a special needs child; in particular the period following my son's official ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) diagnosis. My first thought was: "Ok, sure. That diagnosis happened more than two years ago so … Continue reading “Three Wrongs Do Not An Essay Make” – How one memory derailed my writing plan
ASD Book Review #2 – How To Be Autistic
In July 2019, I started what was supposed to be a regular series to review books written about ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), a topic close to my heart. That July post also included useful information I put together about different categories of autism books (you can check it out here). Since then, life kinda got in … Continue reading ASD Book Review #2 – How To Be Autistic
What car rides with Caleb taught me about autism and attention
Living with my son's autism from day to day teaches me many things - provided I bother to pay attention. Provided I bother to learn. Sadly, I don't. Not enough anyway. For me, arguably the greatest hurdle parenting him all these years, has been to try and come to terms with his fixations. How to … Continue reading What car rides with Caleb taught me about autism and attention
To a child, LOVE’s not only spelled “T-I-M-E”; it’s also spelled….
As parents, we've all heard this adage more times than we care to count: For kids, LOVE is spelled T-I-M-E. Cos spending time with them is the best sign that we the parents care and love them. Many have even gone on to qualify that it's not just about Quality time; it's also about Quantity … Continue reading To a child, LOVE’s not only spelled “T-I-M-E”; it’s also spelled….