Read more about the article I’m so fucking overwhelmed
Confessions / COVID19 / Depression Management / Lockdown / My thoughts

I’m so fucking overwhelmed

I'm trying to write more but the truth is, I'm barely fucking hanging on right now. Last night, in a massive emotional outbursts, Emmett ripped up his schoolwork. He wasn't trying to be difficult or oppositional. He's so overwhelmed by everything and simply not coping well. We've officially crossed a line with the schoolwork at this point. There isn't a child in this country who's education isn't totally fucked up right now. This is causing my kids far too much distress and me too much anxiety. I'm fucking done. I'm fighting feelings of being a total parenting failure right now but the truth is, I'm failing either way. If I force my kids to continue doing the busy work, I'm letting them down because it's clearly not in their best…

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April 11, 2020
Read more about the article My kids had their first telemedicine appointment yesterday
Akron Children's Hospital / Behavioral Health / COVID19 / Elliott / Emmett John / Link / Lockdown / My thoughts

My kids had their first telemedicine appointment yesterday

It's been a few days since I've written. Things are getting rough here in The Autism Dad household and I'd be lying if I told you I was doing fine, because I'm not. Not at all. The kids are absolutely overwhelmed, anxious, overstimulated, angry, frustrated and fucking terrified. They're absolutely terrified and it's not easy to reassure them because they're too smart. They know how bad this is and while I constantly reinforce that we're safe because we're socially isolating, they aren't feeling better about it. I'm not trying to be all doom and gloom but this shit is crazy. This is about as serious as it gets and I can look out my window throughout the day and see countless people not taking this seriously. The boys and I…

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April 9, 2020
Read more about the article How to Balance a Nursing Career, Kids, and Still Complete an Executive Program
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How to Balance a Nursing Career, Kids, and Still Complete an Executive Program

How to Balance a Nursing Career, Kids, and Still Complete an Executive Program Being a working parent is hard. Throw in a degree on top of it all, and it can seem downright impossible, especially if you are a working parent who has never found the whole parenting part of your job natural or easy.  Kids are resilient, but they can also be selfish and self-absorbed. This means that paying them less attention to focus on your degree can feel like inviting disaster into your life, but it doesn’t have to. There is no reason to protect your kids from reality. You are going to need to spend some time each day working on your degree. They are going to have to get used to that. You can be a…

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April 9, 2020
Read more about the article So we’re not homicidal yet and I suppose that’s good
COVID19 / Lockdown / My thoughts

So we’re not homicidal yet and I suppose that’s good

I hope you're all doing well. It's been a longer day than usual and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Longer days seem to slow life down a bit and I'm okay with that. We're still hanging in there and so far, none of us are overtly homicidal yet. That's always a good thing, right? Of course it is. Anyway, first some housekeeping things. The podcast episode for this week will air Friday afternoon-ish. The audio is mixed and uploaded, I'm just needing to finish the artwork and show notes. I'm too tired to get that all done tonight. I'll give you a quick rundown of the this week's episode. I speak with Aaron Shute from Brain Power. They are using Google Glass and augmented reality to help kids and…

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April 3, 2020
Read more about the article Yet Another Great Help for Parents On Lockdown
My thoughts / Sponsored Post

Yet Another Great Help for Parents On Lockdown

I was looking for new ways to help me establish a new routine at home for the kids during the lockdown. In this search, I encountered Otsimo. I have used and talked about this app before. I have also recommended it to many people. Although my children would not benefit from the app, considering their ages and developmental levels, I really like to keep my eye open for such great apps to recommend to those who might need it. When I first came across the app, I remember thinking that it would’ve been great for my youngest Emmett, who was non-verbal. Although it didn’t exist when he was little, I still wanted to take a look and see if it was worth a try. My first impression was that it…

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April 2, 2020
Read more about the article My kids and I were on TV tonight
My thoughts

My kids and I were on TV tonight

It's been an absolutely exhausting day for me but I've made it through in one piece and I'll be going to bed shortly. For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter, I wanted to share this here. My kids and I were featured on ABC News tonight. I was approached late last week about helping with this project. The ABC reporter Devin Dwyer, spoke with me about what life is like for special needs families, while on COVID19 lockdown and I interviewed my kids for them. There were three other absolutely amazing, beautiful families involved as well. The video is embedded below. I'll be receiving a direct link to the video soon but for now, if you missed the live stream, you can see it below. It was…

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April 2, 2020
Read more about the article My chest is heavy with anxiety tonight
COVID19 / Lockdown / My thoughts

My chest is heavy with anxiety tonight

So things are getting a bit more challenging as the days drag on. Emmett is becoming increasingly frustrated with his schoolwork and I hate the idea of continuing to force this additional stress on him. The work isn't too hard, he's just overwhelmed by life and homework seems unnecessary. The boys haven't been going to bed before midnight for the last week or so. They are too anxious and stressed out to easily shutdown at the end of the day. I decided that I needed to regain some control in this area because life on lockdown is hard enough as it is. Trying to cope while sleep deprived is much more difficult. I shut everything down about 8 PM tonight. Emmett was really worked up over his schoolwork and experiencing…

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March 30, 2020
Read more about the article The Truth About How I’m doing
COVID19 / Lockdown / My thoughts

The Truth About How I’m doing

It's been a couple of days since I've written anything. We're struggling but holding our own, at the same time. My brain is completely fried and I'm exhausted. I haven't been able to fall asleep for the last week or so. By the time I manage to pass out, it's about 6AM and I'm able to sneak a couple hours in before the kids are demanding my attention. Sometimes I can steal a nap but my whole cycle is thrown off and it's taking its toll. I desperately need to find the reset button for my circadian rhythm. The kids are doing okay but this is taking its toll on them as well. They're anxious, cranky and climbing the walls. Brotherly spats are more frequent and their inside voices aren't…

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March 30, 2020