Blog - Page 73 of 1611

We basically have 2 weeks before school begins

School supplies have started to arrive for Emmett. Elliott already received a textbook and laptop a few weeks back. Emmett received books, art supplies, a science kit and his laptop. The math workbook is enormous. We have about 2 weeks left before school is supposed to begin and frankly, I'm nervous. Things are already so challenging and that's without having to try and manage distance learning. At this point, I'm not even sure what's going to happen in Ohio. It's not yet been decided as far as I know. I suspect the school year will at the very least, be delayed. We'll have to see what happens and how it impacts us. For right now however, I'm just hoping that I can pull this off. I told Gavin that we…

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August 1, 2020

My thoughts

I let people get to me today

Generally speaking, I have pretty thick skin and I don't take to heart some of the unkind things that are said to me. I figure it's not worth getting upset over and more often than not, I simply don't care. I get my share of hate mail but I don't often talk about it because I just don't. Today was a particularly brutal day and it came from several different sources. I vented a bit eariler and you can read that here. I will never understand what drives a person to feel their opinion is so important that they are just compelled to dump it on me. I really don't need to know that you think I'm a terrible person or a failure as a father. For whatever reason, I…

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July 31, 2020

Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

To Whom This May Concern: I Am In My Lane

I shared my recent interview with ABC News on the topic of wearing masks, and there have been some requests from within the autism community that I stay in my lane. It's been suggested that I just focus on autism related things because that's why people follow me. I thought a To Whom This May Concern type response made sense. I want to take a few minutes and explain why I'm doing what I'm doing and the purpose behind it. To Whom This May Concern We are living in a time where taking a stand matters. I'm a single Dad with 3 amazing autistic kids. My son is immunocompromised, and you better believe that I will use my platform to advocate for anything that will help keep him and others…

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July 30, 2020

COVID19 / My thoughts / Planning / School

My current back to school plan is far from perfect but at least it’s safe

I'm trying to keep things moving forward and I feel like I'm doing a halfway decent job. That's not easy for me to say that either. I tend to focus on my many failings and gloss over my parenting wins. I do feel pretty accomplished to have a basic strategy for the upcoming school year. We haven't left the house in a few days. It's been insanely hot and COVID is worsening in Ohio. There's also a renewal of the general safety concerns where we live. There have been shootings recently and while that's not unheard of its been getting pretty bad. I've mentioned before that gunshots are an almost daily occurance where I live. I don't always know what happened but we hear them all the time. The gunshots…

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July 29, 2020

COVID19 / Media / My thoughts / TV Appearances

I spoke on ABC News tonight about the importance of masks

Last night, I was featured in an ABC News segment about the importance of wearing masks during the COVID-19 crisis. There is debate about the validity of people claiming medical exemptions in regards to wearing masks. For my part, I spoke to the challenges facing kiddos with neuro developmental disorders like autism and wearing masks during COVID-19. We discussed how my kids were doing with masks and how I helped them adjust to wearing them. I'm towards towards the end of the segment. I don't mince words when it comes to this because there's no excuse not to wear a mask. If someone has a condition that makes wearing a mask unsafe, and those conditions are few, they probably should be sheltering at home and avoid public spaces during a…

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July 29, 2020

My thoughts / School

Finalizing plans for this school year

I just got off the horn with the boys new school and they begin on August 17. We're still waiting on something for Emmett but they're finishing him up now. For the record, I will not be sending the kids to a brick and mortar school this year, as there is no universe in which that would be safe under the current circumstances. Lizze and I are in full agreement on this. The boys will be doing distance learning which means that it will be conducted online, with the entire curriculum provided. They receive laptops and do school for about 5.5 hours a day, 5 days a week. It's going to be an interesting transition but it is what it is. Their safety and wellbeing have to come first. What…

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July 28, 2020

11 Top Tips For Raising Kids As A Single Parent

If you're a single parent, taking care of the kids can be a daunting task. Having to switch roles as a mother and a father at the same time means that your responsibilities are almost unlimited. The enabling environment you provide for your kids will play a big role in their development. So, here are 11 tips to help you out with the kids as a single parent. Seek support when necessary Image Credit Single-parenting can bring about feelings of loneliness. Though you may try to stay strong, there are moments when feelings of isolation will weigh you down as a single parent. Instead of trying to do it all by yourself, consider seeking external child support from your neighborhood. Talk to family and other parents in your zone, and…

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July 27, 2020

My thoughts

Last night didn’t go so well

Our first night with an adjusted bedtime did not go so well. Last night was the first night where I moved everyone to a bedtime of 10pm. I mentioned in the previous post that one of my goals was to improve everyones sleep schedules. Last night everyone was shutdown by 10pm. There was cooperation and a willingness to make the change but unfortunately, it didn't go smoothly. Emmett didn't fall asleep until well after midnight and Elliott never fell asleep. I still need to check Gavin's fitbit to see when he fell asleep but he probably did okay. As I said before, this is a work in progress. I am going to encourage Elliott to take a nap but I don't know if that will work and frankly, maybe he's…

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July 27, 2020