I was actually social last night, if you can believe that

The kids spent the night at their mom and grandparents house. They'll be home in a couple hours and for right now, I'm enjoying the quiet. It sounds like the visit is going well and that always makes me happy. :) Last night I swung by to say hi to my mom and ended up staying for hours. Some of my siblings stopped by as well and we ended up having an impromptu family dinner. It was completely unplanned but it was such a good time. Since I've been on my own again, I haven't really put myself out there. I've become very much a homebody and when the kids are gone, I tend to not do anything. I really miss having even the semblance of a social life. Rather…

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Sports You Can Encourage Your Child To Play And Why It Is Great For Them

As parents, we quite often wonder what the right thing to do for them is. We want them to have the best start in life but there are many different options out there for children of all ages. The best thing we can do though is to make sure that they are taking part in some activity at least, for their health and wellbeing. But where do we start? Well, there are many different sports and activities around now and here are some of the choices you may be faced with. Going through each of them and working out with your child which one they would like to try is going to be great for their self-esteem and confidence. Photo by Lisa Wall on Unsplash Competitive Sports Competitive sports are…

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I’m so grateful

I got a ton of things accomplished yesterday and I would go so far as to say it was a successful day. There were two meetings I had to attend and both went really well. I had an amazing opportunity to speak with someone from Facebook, who's helping me improve my efforts. They approached me prior to our trip about helping. I'm so glad they did. I also recently met a fellow Autism parent, and spent some time recording for her podcast yesterday. It was awesome to learn more about her family and how she and her husband manage things. The kids got along pretty well and even had a good visit with their mom. I feel good about everything and I'm grateful we had such a fantastic day.

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Because it needs to be said

So we had a really emotional therapy session tonight. We're talking the kind that of emotional that leaves you exhausted the following day. I can already feel the emotional hangover coming. Tonight was all about the divorce related issues the kids are struggling with. Their mom was there and while it was very emotionally charged, it really did serve a purpose and I hope it helps to promote healing for the kids. I'm very upfront and honest when I say that I do not agree with anything she's done or any of the decisions she's made. I stand by that. At the same time. She's the mother of my children and that will never change. I'm trying to help the kids see this in something other than black and white…

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I’m feeling optimistic

The kids had a hard time falling asleep last night and a difficult time getting up this morning. I swear it was like pulling teeth, just to get them out of bed. That being said, both Elliott and Emmett got to school, basically on time and with the intention of staying all day. I skipped walking today and did so for a couple of reasons. My left foot has been in a lot of pain for the last few months. Haven't really talked about it but it's a problem. It's plantars fasciitis, so while it's extremely painful, it's not serious. My sister has a PhD in physical therapy and has given me some things to do to finally make it go away. The other reason I skipped was because Gavin…

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#Divorce isn’t easy for any child but #Autism can make it harder

My day is like an emotional roller-coaster. We absolutely had some high points but we also had low points and other points in between. Emmett absolutely kicked ass today and him returning to school full time is the highlight of my week right now. The problem is they are struggling with all that life has dealt them recently. They are very angry, hurt and confused. Divorce isn't easy for any child but kids on the spectrum can often struggle significantly more, for a million different reasons. We are still moving forward but they are very angry with their mom and it can sometimes spill over into our daily lives. It tends to happen mostly at night because that's when they're less distracted and think about it more. I'm trying to…

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He totally f*cking did it and I couldn’t be prouder

I'm so excited and proud beyond all words to be able to share with you that Emmett returned to school for the entire day today. He walked out of the building with a smile on his face and seems to be in a good place. I'm so proud of him because I know how much he's struggling and yet he's persevering. There have been a few people that have questioned my approach to Emmett's struggle with school but the reality is, pushing him to return before he was ready, would have only made everything worse. Has he missed school? Of course he has. It was covered under a medical excuse and what matters more than anything else is that he's back. It took some time but my hope is that…

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Sometimes school just isn’t as important

It's a very big day for us in The Autism Dad household. Emmett is returning to school for the full day, starting today. At least that's the plan. I need to sit down and have a meeting with school because Emmett is barely hanging on and while he's returning full time, it's not going to take much to derail that. Emmett's been in a very, very dark place and because of that, school has become incidental. He's absolutely buried in makeup work and he feels his teachers are disappointed in him. I spoke with his therapist and I think the best approach for him to get back into the classroom full time is to forget the makeup work. Emmett has been an overachiever his entire life and received straight A's…

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