Autism Always Wins
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Kids, Parenting
So I started this post in the morning.
I’m sitting at my desk frustrated and discouraged and self-loathing after an especially difficult weekend and one of those literally-drag-the-kid-to-school mornings.
So I titled the piece “Losing to Autism.”
Because lately that’s what I’ve been feeling like.
Rivers – I’m Your Daddy
Posted by Troy | Filed under Parenting
When our last baby boy arrived, we really had no idea what to call him.
We hadn’t even been talking about it much because it was such a stressful time in our lives.
I was finishing an internship and about to be unemployed. We had just discovered that our other son Gideon has Autism.
And the day before the baby arrived I found out that I (once again) had cancer.
So yeah, not a lot of spare energy to discuss baby names.
Tags: kids, video, weezer, weezer week
Chimney Rock and the Value of Risk
Posted by Troy | Filed under Parenting, Travel
We recently visited Chimney Rock State Park, just south of Ashville, NC.
It’s a really great destination for families since they’ve added steps, boardwalks and railings to make the hiking accessible to anyone.
We kept calling Exclamation Point “Explanation Point,” which doesn’t sound nearly so awe-inspiring… but it’s worth the extra 1,000 steps or so past Devil’s Head (above)… and the hike back to ground level is really cool, with rock outcroppings and alternate views of the Chimney Rock.
A few of us still had the energy to hike the mile or so out to the 400-ft. Hickory Nut Falls… we weren’t allowed nearly as close as we’d hoped, but maybe next trip there will be fewer park rangers around…
Actually, situations like that are kind of adjusting my parenting.
Those times when I know I would jump the barrier… but don’t want my kids to.
Tags: fear, kids, original photo, Parenting, Travel
Six Benefits of LEGO Play for Children with Autism
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Kids, Parenting
When my kids were finally old enough for LEGOs, I was glad.
Pretty much everything about LEGO is awesome.
What was interesting (though not totally surprising) was how beneficial LEGO play seemed to be for my 6-year-old who has autism.
Interestingly enough, some serious studies are now being done to develop LEGO-based therapy for children with autism.
It makes a lot of sense:
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Autism, kids, lego, original photo
Pepperoni Pizza
Posted by Troy | Filed under Humor, Kids, Parenting
He was going to be a hippo
Then it was a pirate
Then a frog
Finally, with time running out we insist he make up his mind…
“Pepperoni Pizza!” he announces…
Tags: halloween, kids, original photo
Ringo Starr is the One
Posted by Troy | Filed under Culture, Music, Parenting
After a round of Beatles RB the other day, I asked my right-brained first-born what her favorite Beatles song is (of course Abbey Road is her favorite album)…
I wouldn’t have guessed “Octopus’s Garden,” but I guess it makes sense since that Ringo tune has been entertaining kids for a long time.
Tags: kids, Music, original illustration, rock band, the beatles
Zev on Amazing Race
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Parenting, TV
Editorial Note: This original post was written in 2009, during Zev and Justin’s first appearance on The Amazing Race. I’m excited they’re back in 2011 and glad more people are discovering the same hope that I discuss in this article.
Individuals on the Autism Spectrum have never had a voice in the media.
Of course there’s Rain Man (everyone’s first reply when I say “my son has Autism”)…
And the occasional savant on 60 Minutes or something… (which of course results in everyone’s second reply “so is he super good at math or the piano or something?”)
And that is about it.
There’s never been occasion in media where a character with Autism was actually a person… you know what I mean?
That is why I consider this season’s Amazing Race to be groundbreaking…
Because Zev Glassenberg is someone to watch.
As far as I can tell he is the first person ever in popular media to represent individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
While watching this weeks episode…
I chuckled knowingly when he’s concerned about getting his shoes wet while traveling through knee-deep floods in Vietnam…
and I felt so proud… like he was my own son… when he masterfully shepherded a flock of ducks during one competition…
and gave his jacket to a man who had none…
and my heart cheered when his team came in 2nd at the finish line for that leg of the race…
But the thing that really gets me emotional…
is that he’s got a friend.
a real friend.
Because I know I’m in for a lot of heartbreak over the next decade as I try to watch my son relate to his peers… and none of them will really understand him.
But seeing Zev with his buddy Justin gives me hope… just a little hope… that someday my boy can have a friend that understands him and appreciates him the way I do…
a friend who loves his sense of humor and is humbled by his unselfish spirit and touched by his sweet personality and…..
You can follow Zev and Justin on the race via their webpage (which is mostly twitter status updates of funny stuff Zev says on the show)
Tags: amazing race, aspergers, Autism, tv
Home School vs Public School
Posted by Troy | Filed under Parenting
I read an entertaining article today about choosing the best schooling option for your family and respecting the choices of others.
I’m not sure why this issue is so hotly debated among parents…
Quite honestly, I don’t really care how you school your kids and I’m not exactly sure why anyone else would care what option I choose for mine.
I do think he comes across a little hard on homeschooling in the article, but I don’t think that is his intention…
What he’s really getting at is how often parents of a certain persuasion will look down on anyone who makes a different choice. For him, it was homeschooling parents practically treating him like a child-abuser because he sends them to public school, never considering that he did so for some very intentional reasons…
I love my homeschooling friends. They are wonderful and fabulous and great and all those other positive adjectives, and I’ve never experienced this kind of pressure from any of them.
But I do know what this guy is talking about… and I have seen it.
I grew up in Christian school and I remember even as a kid looking ever-so-slightly down my nose at the kids who wallowed in the paganism of Siebert Elementary… I didn’t realize I was doing so, but I was…
and I don’t want my kids to ever think they are better than anyone else… luckier than some, maybe… but not better.
and every day I encourage them to be hope and light and love to the kids who have none…
Tags: illustration
First Day of School
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Parenting
Sometimes I’m surprised to hear parents excited to send their kids back to school… like having them around is a huge pain that they’d just as soon avoid.
I get that kids are a lot of work and they definitely have a way of wearing your nerves quite thin…
I’d still rather be around them most of the time than not…
My son went to his first day of kindergarten this past week.
It was tough enough with our oldest… we cried the whole walk home from dropping her off for the first time.
But this time is different.
Because he has autism, we have no idea what to expect.
Reassurance comes from friends in the form of “Oh, he’ll be OK… do great… etc.”
Which is more than likely true, but not really the issue.
We don’t want him to be OK.
We want him to get the most out of each day.
to excel…
to fly…
Will dropping him in the hands of an overloaded public school teacher give him that opportunity?
Would keeping him home with mom?
Nobody knows, and that’s just the thing… at some point you have to make a decision…
at some point you have to have faith.
Tags: Autism, Faith, original photo, Parenting, school
Kids Dance Mix
Posted by Troy | Filed under Family, Music, Parenting
My daughter got a CD player (I call it a boombox) for her seventh birthday.
She only has one CD and she really likes it.
I don’t like it so much.
Today I threw together (maybe 5 minutes spent) a new mix CD that the whole family can enjoy:
- Pork & Beans – Weezer
- No One – Alicia Keys
- Can You Feel It – Apples in Stereo
- I Need You Back – Ben Kweller
- No Rain – Blind Melon
- French Navy – Camera Obscura
- 1,2,3,4 – Feist
- Get Better – Mates of State
- Noticed – Mute Math
- Apple Trees – Ozma
- Flip Flops – Paul Wright
- Hey Sandy – Polaris (that’s the iconic band from the intro to Pete and Pete)
Tags: original photo
