Read more about the article There’s no way to win this war with #Autism involved
Autism Parenting Struggles / My thoughts

There’s no way to win this war with #Autism involved

We had to get up this morning at the ass crack of dawn, in order to have the boys to Akron Children's Hospital for appointments at 8 am. Elliott and Emmett are there for good checks. It's also an ADHD follow-up.  I don't plan on anything unexpected coming from this appointment.  The only wildcard in play is Elliott sleep issues of late. I'm not overly concerned, but I do want to bring this up and see what she thinks. It's always a good idea to keep the doctor in the loop.  This will likely be one of those appointments where the drive takes longer than the doctor, but whatcha gonna do. Good pediatricians aren't always easy to find. ☺  I should also mention that I prepared the kids for the…

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July 13, 2017
Read more about the article I remember why I don’t take all 3 of my kids with #Autism shopping at once 
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

I remember why I don’t take all 3 of my kids with #Autism shopping at once 

I'm completely exhausted after a long day. I took the boys to therapy, to order Gavin's new glasses, and then to the grocery store. While at the store, I was quickly reminded why I avoid taking all three of them shopping at the same time.  Don't get me wrong, they weren't terrible, and frankly, after the long day they did well.  It was more exhausting than frustrating for me because I had to constantly keep them focused. They were all over the place and wrangling them wasn't easy. Gavin was simply oblivious to his surroundings and kept walking into people and things.  Elliott and Emmett were pushing each other's buttons, and it quickly escalated.  My back is killing me, I ended up spending to much at the grocery store, and…

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July 12, 2017
Read more about the article Maintaining our marriage while #Autism #Parenting
Autism Parenting Advice / Marriage Maintenance / My thoughts

Maintaining our marriage while #Autism #Parenting

Managing the amount of stress associated with being an Autism parent is a real challenge. Maintaining a marriage and or outside relationships is just as challenging.  There are days that can prove to be more challenging than others.  My wife and I felt that stress come to a head this afternoon when the kids were visiting my parents. We were looking at the same issue, only from a different perspective, and it got tense.  It's so easy to sorta turn on each other when we are both so incredibly stressed out. It's important that we be cognizant of the fact that stress is playing an influential role in our disagreement.  We never set out to take things out on each other, but the reality is, it sometimes happens. Aside from…

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July 12, 2017
Read more about the article Once again I find myself grateful 
My thoughts

Once again I find myself grateful 

The boys have left the building, although for a slightly shorter time than originally planned. My back still hurts so I don't know if I'll make it shopping or not.  We have Dr. Pattie's at 4pm and the boys should arrive home in time for that.  Once again, we're both super grateful for the break.. 

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July 12, 2017
Read more about the article Finding balance when the kids are gone
My thoughts

Finding balance when the kids are gone

The boys are going to spend the day with my Mom. I think they're getting picked up just before lunch. Lizze and I have no plans, aside from grocery shopping today.  I do want to try and get some things done around the house. Frankly, thays only ever really possible when the kids are not home. At the same time, not resting during the time away from the kids can be a mistake.  The challenge is finding a balance that works, without tipping the scales to one side or the other. 

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July 12, 2017
Read more about the article My kids with #Autism had their first real play date yesterday
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

My kids with #Autism had their first real play date yesterday

We had a pretty awesome experience today, with our kids first real play date. In all our years, the kids have never had a real play date because play dates for kids with Autism isn't always easy, or ever easy. Without spending a great deal of time on this, I'll simply say that trying to find actual peers for kids with Autism can be an enormous challenge. Even if you do manage to find a peer, there are literally a million things that can go wrong. Putting two or more kids together with the many issues that can go along with an Autism diagnosis, can be a disaster. One example I can remember from the kids just interacting with classmates has to do with boundaries. Some kids with Autism have…

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July 12, 2017
Read more about the article Something awesome is planned for today 
My thoughts

Something awesome is planned for today 

We have a big day ahead of us. Provided that everything goes well for both parties, a play date will happen this afternoon. The boys will be hopefully playing with some friends from school this afternoon.  I say provided everything goes well for both parties because our other families have unpredictable lives and things simply don't always work out.  Having said that, everyone is planning on being there this afternoon, and fun should be had by all.  This is such an exciting day for me because I want so badly for my kids to have the kind of childhood I had, but our neighborhood and the challenges associated with Autism, make that nearly impossible at times.  Frankly, I'm not sure who's more excited, me or the boys.. ☺ 

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July 11, 2017
Read more about the article Today’s Victory: You won’t believe what Emmett did tonight
Emmett John / Today's Victory

Today’s Victory: You won’t believe what Emmett did tonight

The paycheck came today and I decided to take the family out to Cracker Barrel for dinner. We haven't been out to dinner as a family for a long time, and there's good reason for that.  We haven't had the money to do things like this for awhile. Secondly, it's fucking hard to get three kids with Autism organized, and cooperative, all at the same time.  Just getting out the door was a nightmare. I came damn close to forgetting the whole deal because I'm in an enormous amount of pain, and running short on patience. More on that later.  We finally made it to Cracker Barrel and surprise surprise, Emmett has a mini-meltdown because he can't decide what he wants. That's another reason we avoid these situations. lol Our…

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July 11, 2017