Today's guest post comes from Kat, a long-time blogging friend who has her own great blog at Spectrum Beach. Kat is mom to two sons: Movie Boy, who is autistic and currently in middle school and his younger brother Ben Ten. Today Kat looks back on an Easter day with Movie Boy and [...]
Posts under ‘understanding’
The Power to Carry It Out
Comic courtesy of
xkcd
(I think this may be my favorite comic ever in the history of the world.)
I (in my real life, pseudonymless state) have been participating recently in a book discussion with a group of friends online. And things have gotten heated. I have opinions. Other people have opinions. Other people [...]
The Hardest Words
Image credit: Photo by
Bekah Stargazing on Flickr
Licensed under Creative Commons
My son Austen, like many other autistic individuals, does not like (or understand the purpose of) many of society's little pleasantries. He balks at words like hello, goodbye, please, sorry and thank you; anything that can appear in a conversation as part of a [...]
What Can I Do to Help?
Image credit: Photo by
Cayusa on Flickr
Licensed under Creative Commons
Last week, in my guest post for Lisa Belkin's New York Times blog Motherlode, I wrote about some of the challenges a trip to the grocery store can present for my son Austen. Since then a number of people have very kindly commented or e-mailed asking, [...]
False Talismans
Image credit: Photo by
Alé on Flickr
Licensed under Creative Commons
I took myself out to lunch today. Nothing fancy, just a fast food place. I was appropriately decked out for the occasion in my classy mom gear: a battered old college sweatshirt. The man waiting on me looked, I thought, older than I am. [...]
Shelter from the Storm
Image credit: Photo by
max_thinks_sees on Flickr
Licensed under Creative Commons
Mark and I were at a beach one day, years ago. It was autumn and the wind was blowing the chill salt air around us. I felt invigorated and happy, the way I always do when I can hear and smell the ocean, and as [...]
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 in line. At this [...]
Visual Assault
Cross-posted at Two Women Blogging
It's election season here. Streets are lined with red, white and blue signs pushing various candidates and various positions on the issues. Several neighbors have large lawn signs letting the rest of us know where they stand.
There is a tan house with white trim that sits a fair walk [...]
Dirty Words
Photo credit: Photo bychristopherdale on Flickr
When I was younger, my best friend Vickie and I used to hide under the stairs in the basement of my house and whisper curse words to each other in an elementary school act of defiance.
"Asshole," I would say, and giggle.
"Shit," she would whisper back, covering her mouth to stifle [...]
Letting Off Steam
Photo credit: Photo bywesty559 on Flickr
When my son becomes overwhelmed -- whether from the stress of a trip to the grocery store or simply from routine end-of-the-day hunger and tiredness -- he lets out a high pitched shriek. And usually not just one, he emits them periodically: sometimes one after another, very rapidly, or [...]
