Image credit: Photo by nickwheeleroz on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Now rumor would have it that my son's autism translates into rigid, ritualistic behavior patterns. And you may have heard that he's afraid to try new things: from new play structures to new foods. But don't listen. Yesterday, his sister asked to go play [...]
Posts under ‘compulsive behavior’
The Missing Shoe
Image credit: Photo by malik ml williams on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons We faced a major crisis recently: I couldn't find one of my son's shoes. And his shoe was not just missing, but missing at the worst possible time: moments before the bus was due to arrive. Now, it's not that Austen doesn't [...]
Routine
Image credit: Photo by Daveybot on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons My son recently did something startling. He sat down in a different seat than usual. That may not seems startling, but for years, he has had the same place. And it's not just the same seat he enjoys, sameness in general comforts him: the [...]
The Not Done List
Image credit: Photo by ^Sandra^ on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons I had a really wonderful, productive day yesterday. I got the kids fed and clothed and to school on time. While they were in school, I: did all the dishes washed and dried a load of laundry got some good writing work done meditated [...]
A Tale of Two Mothers
Image credit: Photo by Omar Eduardo on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons As featured in the New York Times blog Motherlode I A mother and her son are in line at a grocery store. They boy looks like he’s about nine or ten. The mother looks a little tense as the boy starts to fidget [...]
Is John Edwards a Sex Addict?
Last week, I asked you all to ask me anything (I'm still taking questions; keep them coming!), and I noticed that one question has been on many of your virtual lips: "Is John Edwards a sex addict?" And (on a related note): "Is everyone who has an affair a sex addict?" I'll take the second [...]
My Son’s Gimpy Fin
This has been cross-posted at Two Women Blogging. Now, I may not be one for much crying, but I did cry (I'll admit it, I did) the first time (ok, ok! few times) I watched Finding Nemo. Even before I lost track of my son a few times, I related so much to the anxiety, [...]
Just a Routine Checkup
Photo credit: Photo byNick Atkins Photography on Flick A few weeks ago, my son had his annual checkup. Because I am perpetually disorganized, and because insurance only pays for one checkup a year (meaning each must be scheduled at least one year and one day apart), my children's checkups keep moving further and further from [...]
Circles within Circles (or Understanding the Stars — and Eliot Spitzer)
Three weeks ago, Eliot Spitzer was Governor of New York and the model of an upstanding citizen. Two weeks ago, he became embroiled in scandal and admitted to hiring prostitutes. The media was all over the story: less dissecting it, than tearing it apart like a school of piranha. It boiled up and died down, [...]
One Step Forward for Hygiene, One Step Back for Finances
I have a weakness -- a big weakness -- for fancy soaps. My dermatologist has recommended that, given the amount of housework I do, my propensity for handwashing and the resulting state of my hands, I should use only the gentlest, fragrance free soaps. (Did you know that one can come down with a condition [...]
