What is love? Or even a love story? I guess we all know the traditional one. The stereotypical one.But I know a better one.A friendship.My son Cooper is 14 years old. He is what they call…nonspeaking. See, at three years old they told me he had autism. And then around age six the professionals told me he would most likely never speak. And somewhere along that way, a daycare provider told me he would never make a friend. I’ll never forget it. It’s one of those moments who made me…
There is a saying that is said at one time or another to every parent. This too shall pass. I remember being told those words as I held each of my newborns, exhausted from cluster feeding and lack of sleep. Again during the never ending messes that kids make. During potty training woes and tantrums over blue cups and the wrong shoes. And I guess in most cases it’s true right? The hard moments do pass. Usually. Babies start sleeping. Messes stop. Little humans learn to communicate. Kids get more…
I recently marked one year since I took early retirement from my career to stay home with my son, Zachary who lives with severe autism. I have always worked full-time throughout his life, but once we realized he would always require 24/7 care, our goal was for me to care for Zachary full-time after he graduated high school. As a senior, he started saying, “Stay home, Mama,” every morning, so we knew he had the same goal. It took us about three years after he graduated to meet that goal.…
This picture. The older brother watching the younger brother play goalie. Probably seems like nothing special. But it is. It’s hugely special. It’s a diagnosis of autism for the older one. The younger one learning alongside him. It’s years of hard work and practice. It’s deep breaths and waiting patiently. It’s noise and sound and cold. It’s also a family, all together, watching a hockey game. I don’t know a lot about autism. I am no expert. I can’t tell you the mysteries of my son for sure. Nor can…
I just came from church. I went alone today. I could have brought my two younger children but honestly, I needed 60 minutes to myself to sit and think. I chuckle at what I consider to be a ‘relaxing break’ now. Anyhow I don’t often talk about church on this page. Because like politics and vaccinating and puzzle pieces and the color blue, it can anger people. And that isn’t what my mission is about. I refuse to argue about autism. Not anymore. I’m too busy making sure my son…
I have a story to share with you. A little long possibly, but worth the read. My son Cooper is 14 years old. He has a diagnosis of nonverbal/nonspeaking autism. He loves trains and swimming and asks me every single day to go to outer space with his friends, the Little Einsteins.He is in 8th grade. He communicates in a variety of ways. Some words and sounds. Gestures. A speech device. Sign language. Typing. And most recently a cell phone.He’s never quiet. He loves to take photographs. When he’s feeling…
An autism diagnosis for my son, Jackson, nearly nine years ago. A brain cancer diagnosis of DIPG for my daughter, Monroe, just weeks ago……. I panicked in the small emergency room nurses break room when it happened. No, I want to just take her home. Let’s pretend this never happened. This can’t be happening. It isn’t true, she’s only seven. I needed a moment to say all the things that weren’t helpful before I could process the diagnosis that was being handed to me in a suitcase with a weight…
Today is my son Sawyer’s 12th birthday. Which is a really big deal. Because according to him he’s basically 16. I am a storyteller. At least I consider myself one. I think our stories are what complete us. And telling stories about Sawyer are my favorite. And I write them down so one day, when I am old and grey, we will have them to look at. This is my favorite Sawyer story… We had arrived at Cooper’s school to pick him up for the day. It was Jamie, Sawyer,…
My son, I used to be so scared of different. Of standing out. I preferred to blend in. Not rock the boat as they say. But you kid. You changed all that. You were born to stand out. To be different. When you were little I’d get so scared. The fear would almost paralyze me. In a way you were fearless because you didn’t care what people thought. And I’ll admit, that frightened me. We’d be in a waiting room or at a park. Everyone else would be sitting. Or…
A while back we visited an arcade. It was a big adventure for our family of six. Our second son loves all things gaming. And our 3 and 6 year olds love tagging after their older brother. And Cooper, our eldest son, he is just starting to take in the world outside of our home. He loves exploring and experiencing the world on his own terms. He is fourteen years old. He loves trains and postcards with animals on them. He also has autism. He is autistic. And according to…
