Posts Tagged ‘dad’
The Calm to our Crazy
Autism has taken our family on quite the adventure the last six years and right in the beginning of it, I gave birth to our second son. But through it all, you have been the calm to our crazy. It quickly became apparent the you are Jayden’s person, what a huge job that really is. It is never-ending and always demanding. The connection you have with Jayden is so hard to describe it is like you two have a magnetic force drawing you to each other whenever you are in…
Read MoreMore than the Man of My Dreams
Every year on Father’s Day I am so thankful to my father and how wonderful he has been my whole life and how lucky I am. After I started having kids of my own I now find myself thankful for my Dad for being such a great Father and Grandfather but also I find myself so thankful for my husband and the Dad he has become. I have always been complimented on how great Lee is as a husband. Other men tell him to stop doing things because he is…
Read MoreThe Way You Make You Me Feel
I remember the day so clearly, we sat outside at that little Italian restaurant as it was the start of our little dudes 2nd birthday weekend. We had just left his 2 year check up and were being sent for further evaluations. You told me not to worry, that we can get through anything and that we would tackle this head on together. I just remember being so scared. The day of diagnosis was hard. They told us it was Autism and we had no clue where to start. I…
Read MoreThanking the Special Fathers
I know the diagnosis was a lot for you to handle at first. I remember you not showing any emotion. I kept wondering how you felt? Did it bother you? Do you accept it? I know at first it made you really sad. Every father’s dream is to have a son. You wanted him to take your passion in football as well. The interest in sports. Helping him at his T-Ball games. Talk about girls. The list goes on. I know that hurt a lot. I know this has been…
Read MoreTo the Autism Dads
There are so many types of wonderful dads to honor on Father’s Day. There are the dads who coach all the sports teams and take the kids to college football games. There are the dads who do science experiments with their kids, take them camping and on long nature hikes to explore wildlife. There are the energetic, playful dads who run around the yard playing hide and seek and flag football. There are also the dads who do all the chores around the house from laundry to cooking. And then…
Read MoreThey Say he has Autism
“They say he has autism.” I didn’t go with my wife to the appointment with the developmental pediatrician that day. I had taken a couple sick days not too long before then, and I didn’t think it would be prudent to take another off. I remember telling her I wasn’t worried about what we were going to hear. “He’s just a little behind,” I had said, confident in the outcome of the appointment. “I was behind. I had to go to therapy and all that. Look, he’s only two. We’ve…
Read MoreTo the Dads who are Superheros without Capes
It is time we appreciate the underappreciated and uncelebrated dads who make up half of special needs parenting. It is part of our culture to glorify motherhood whereas the struggles of a father are seldom talked about. Special needs fatherhood can be especially lonely. They often don’t have a support system and men in our society are often discouraged to show the vulnerable side of their personality. These are the men who work twice as hard, who make difficult decisions for the sake of their families. Who are mocked and…
Read MoreI’m Thankful for my Unsung Hero
Its been almost 3 and half years since we received our son’s diagnosis of classic autism level 3. When we walked to the car that day I sat in my seat and just crumbled… As I sobbed and sobbed, you took my hand and said “we’ll get through this together.” You may not have known then but that’s exactly what I needed to hear. No one could have prepared us for this journey. The women and mother I was that day is not the same person I am today. Autism…
Read MoreAll I Really Need to Know
“Based on our observation, we believe your son has autism.” The echo of those words lingered in the otherwise silent room. My heart was trying to process what that meant for my son at a frenetic pace, my brain however was reconciling it with all the signs. Yes, this makes sense now! The numerous daycares he’s been kicked out of. The delayed and severely flawed speech development. The lack of interest in the same activities as his peer group. Too many to name really, but it all makes sense. Now…
Read MoreBecause She is Mine…A Father’s Autism Story
I will never be nominated for “Father of the Year” by any autism association. In fact, by most measures, I am completely inadequate as a father for the special needs my daughter, Lizzie, requires. Patience, understanding and sympathy are not my strong suit. I often come home from work tired and sometimes a little irritable. I worry about the money we have spent on therapy over the last several years. I worry that the decisions of which therapies to use are the right ones. And I worry way too much…
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