Sometimes it feels like we’re raising our boy under a ticking clock. To some degree, every parent feels that way. We tend to judge ourselves by how quickly our kids reach certain milestones. The points at which our children start to walk, talk, read, etc. tend to set the standard by which we judge their progress, along with our own. It’s no different when you’re parenting a child … Continue reading The Ticking Clock
What have I learned in six years of fatherhood? That a good portion of parenting appears to consist of screwing up, doing your best to make sure your kids don’t see you screwing up, and praying that you do better the next time you think you’re about to screw up. I still find it mystifying that video games come with instruction guides but children don’t. … Continue reading I Screw Up A Lot
My boy had a rough time this morning. Allergy season always takes a heavy toll on him, but we’re usually able to get him back on his feet through judicious application of Zyrtec and Benadryl. That apparently isn’t going to be enough this year, with the pollen counts reaching in the quadrillions. This meant a trip to the pediatrician and a request for the only … Continue reading To Those Who Are Kind
Partly because of my job, and partly because of all the “millennial” frustration I see on-line everyday, I’ve come to a conclusion regarding my own kids: I have to love them enough to let them fail. Let me clarify. We all want the best for our kids. We want them to grow up happy, healthy, and most of all successful. We put a lot of … Continue reading Let Them Lose
What’s the difference between parenting a child with special needs vs. one without? I struggled with that question when my boy was first diagnosed autistic. Him being our first born, I was still just trying to figure out parenting period. What do you do when your child has a condition you can hardly understand or identify with? It took me a long time, too damn … Continue reading The Only Difference
“Do I hate autism?” I found myself awake one night wrestling with that question. It had been a harder evening than most, one wherein my son had dealt with way too much sensory overload during a trip to the mall. This resulted in a meltdown that was far more explosive than what his mother and I were used to. All in full view of an alternatively pitying … Continue reading Autism Isn’t the Enemy
I know this seems a bit out-of-place, but I’ve noticed lately on some of the online dad groups I frequent that a lot of parents are struggling with the issue of medication for mood disorders like depression or anxiety. Whether it be for themselves or even their kids. Lord knows I have. After all, when you’re hurting, all you want is relief. Even more so when … Continue reading To Medicate Or Not To Medicate
One of the things that scares me the most about parenting is what might happen if or when my boys find themselves in a situation where they’re being bullied. I know with the boys being 4 and 6 it’s a little early for me to start worrying about something that may never happen, but it honestly wears on my mind. Especially now that they’re both … Continue reading The Worst Bully
o all the parents out there of kids with extra needs: You might be feeling defeated today. The exhaustion and anxiety have set in. You feel like Sisyphus with his rock. You got so far with getting your child what he or she needs and deserves, and then something went wrong. It could have been any number of things; A meltdown. A bad … Continue reading For The “Extra Needs” Parents
Fatherhood in the Trenches 