Read more about the article Surviving
Emmett John / My thoughts

Surviving

It was decided by all involved to keep Emmett home from school yesterday and today. We have documentation and the school is aware of everything that's going on. They've been very supportive and I can't say how appreciative of that I am. Emmett is not in a good place emotionally and his meds were updated Wednesday, which is part of the reason for staying home. He's still doing his class work and the goal is to return on Monday, with a new support plan in place at school. Again, they've been so supportive throughout this whole thing. It was a really rough night because Emmett had nightmares all night long. He didn't sleep well and I was up with him on and off all night long. It took some doing…

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January 10, 2020
Read more about the article Navigating #divorce with #Autistic kids can be very, very challenging but not impossible
My thoughts / New Beginnings

Navigating #divorce with #Autistic kids can be very, very challenging but not impossible

We had a very, very emotional Wednesday night therapy session. It was emotional for a number of reasons but it ended in a positive way and the kids are better for it. I was a less than ideal situation but it was the lesser of two evils and kids needed to have some questions answered by their mom. It's not anything that I'm going to get into here but it was not a conversation either of us wanted to have but it had become clear that the kids were going down hill quickly because of how certain things were handled and the only way to help them past it was to give them more insight into what had happened to cause the split. It wasn't my story to tell and…

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January 9, 2020
Read more about the article When your kid is in crisis, focusing on anything else is impossible
My thoughts

When your kid is in crisis, focusing on anything else is impossible

I know the overall theme of things lately is kinda depressing. The truth is, our lives are very difficult and this passed year has been especially challenging for a number of reasons. I could lie to you all and make it seem like things are better than what they are but after 11 years of writing, I know that people come here because I speak the truth about whatever I'm experiencing, so we can all learn something from it. You won't be surprised to learn that today has been one of the hardest days I've had in awhile and that's saying something. We had to be out the door before 7 AM and make the drive to Akron Children's Hospital for an 8 AM appointment in Behavioral Health. I left…

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January 9, 2020
Read more about the article I’m trying very hard to focus on the positive so here’s an important update
Emmett John / My thoughts

I’m trying very hard to focus on the positive so here’s an important update

It's been a very challenging day for me as a parent but especially for Emmett. He needs all the love and support we can muster so please send them his way. I really appreciate it. That said, I wanted to try and focus on the positive and share an update about something I apparently forgot to share. You may recall that last week, Emmett was going to have a friend come over. He came over on Thursday and they spent 4 or 5 hours hanging out together. Emmett had a great time and his friend is a really nice kid. There were zero problems and I'm very open to doing this again. I mentioned something to Emmett about maybe seeing if he can come back over this weekend but we…

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January 7, 2020
Read more about the article It’s absolutely awful and completely f*cking heartbreaking
My thoughts

It’s absolutely awful and completely f*cking heartbreaking

I've been feeling very positive so far this year. We were able to get the house mostly caught up and more importantly, we're maintaining it. This is the first time I can honestly say this, since we've been on our own. Maybe that doesn't sound super impressive but I feel really good about it. Despite the positive, I'm struggling right now. My kids are struggling and I'm worried about them. I won't go into the details but Emmett is struggling more now than he ever has in his entire life. He wants me to pull him out of school and homeschool him. He's not sleeping well and when he does, it's filled with nightmares. His nightmares are really fucked up because he feels pain in his dreams and actually dies,…

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January 6, 2020
Read more about the article Teaching Your Kids Not To Be Afraid Of The Dentist
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Teaching Your Kids Not To Be Afraid Of The Dentist

Many kids are scared of going to the dentist, and it’s completely understandable. Even most adults have some kind of fear of the dentist, even though a checkup will be fine most of the time.  A regular trip to the dentist is essential for your family’s health, so it’s important to try and ease your kids’ fears. Give some of the following tips a try to help teach your kids not to be afraid of the dentist. Image Credit: Unsplash under Creative Commons Get them used to it from a young age It’s important to have your child’s teeth checked regularly, including from a young age. Your child’s first dental appointment should be made around six months after their teeth start coming through, or around their first birthday. By making…

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January 6, 2020
Read more about the article We don’t have to be perfect parents and that’s good, especially for me
Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

We don’t have to be perfect parents and that’s good, especially for me

While talking with a new friend of mine recently, I was reminded of something I've lost sight of in recent months and perhaps even recent years. We were discussing selfcare and the possibility of working together on something for Autism Awareness Month this year. We were coming at this from slightly different perspectives but I was challenged to step outside my normal way of viewing things and I gained a very unique perspective from someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for. While I was on this thought journey, I was reminded of the importance of recognizing our limits. Something I have been forgetting lately is that I'm only human and therfore burdened by my very human limits. I tend to have this view of myself that says I…

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January 5, 2020
Read more about the article The Good New and The Bad News
My thoughts / New Beginnings

The Good New and The Bad News

The boys had an overnight visit with their mom and grandparents last night. The very first of 2020. There were some minor issues with one of the kids while they were out and I called their mom last night to make sure everything was okay. She had handled the sitution well and I was more curious about how it was resolved. Anyway, my timing was fortuitous because Emmett had begun not feeling well. The night before he had started with a bad cough again but subsided by morning. Apparently, it returned towards the end of the day yesterday and I could hear him barking like a seal in the background. We decided that it would be best if I picked him up and brought him home. This was about 9:30…

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January 5, 2020