We have a full week to recover from Christmas before the boys will be returning to school for the last half of the school year. They will be visiting their mom on Wednesday for a little while and Emmett is going to be having a friend come over to hang out. I'm actually really excited that Emmet is having a friend come over. I know that seems pretty mundane but for an Autism family, it's pretty freaking awesome. Assuming it goes well, I'd to make this a regular thing. As for the rest of the week, I don't really have any plans. I think we're going to stop by my parents house for a bit on New Years Eve and hang out. That's sort of a tradition. It's pretty low-key…

We had a great time visiting family and friends last night. The kids did great and were quite social. I decided to surprise them with a late night movie after our family gathering. We went and saw the new Star Wars movie at 10PM, making it an exceptionally late night. Elliott was the only one who really didn't want to go and pushed to leave after the movie started. That said, he quickly got into it and became glued to the screen for the duration. Emmett, the one who pushed to go in the first place, passed out about 30 minutes in. He woke himself up after his brief nap and enjoyed the rest of the movie. At this point, Elliott was not happy that we were there. Look at…

A lot of you have been asking how I'm personally doing with my upcoming divorce. First of all, I truly appreciate your concern. Secondly, I haven't really been talking about that part of this whole thing and instead remained focused on how the kids are doing because that's the biggest part of my life. When someone asks me how I'm doing, I don't really know how to answer that. The truth is, it's kind of a roller-coaster for me. On most days, I've accepted the necessity of this and while it hurts, I know that I have no choice. At the same time, there is a difference between accepting something on a cognitive level and accepting it emotionally. The absolute truth is that I still struggle emotionally. There are times…

I'm finally feeling more like myself. everyone has been sick for so long, with me being the last to succumb and the last to be better. I'm eating regularly again and even sleeping better. That's aways a positive thing. It's amazing how a decent night's sleep can impact in such a positive away. The boys and I will be attending a family function tonight. We're all pretty excited to get out of the house and hang with family and friends for the evening. The Ohio State game starts at 8PM and we'll probably watch that for a bit as well. We will also spend some time working on the house. We need to play catch-up cause I really dropped the ball when everyone was sick. Emmett is having a friend…

I figured I would give you guys a sneak peek at what I've been working on for Season 3 of The Autism Dad Podcast. The first episode is in the tank and pretty much ready to go. I noticed something at the last minute that I want to clean up but outside of that, it's done. I take on the topic of vaccines and while I know it's controversial and likely bring out the antivaxxer troll farm, I'm doing the right thing. I spoke with someone who is an emergency room physician, with a specialty in medical toxicology. Facts matter folks. It's 2020 and we're still debating whether or not vaccines cause Autism. It's absolutely insane that so many people are dismissing scientific and medical fact, only to put our…

I'm so fucking overwhelmed by life tonight. My kids have been at other's throats all day. They're hurt and angry and unable to cope any better with all that's shaken up their world. There isn't a goddam thing I can do to make this better for them. It's absolutely heartbreaking, frustrating and among the most helpless feelings I've ever experienced. The only thing that's going to help is time and obviously therapy. This change in our family is impacting every aspect of our lives. Sleep, school, work, and especially selfcare are among the most adversely impacted. It's an uphill battle and one that we don't seem to be winning right now. All I can do is try to keep them distracted, remind them that they're loved and make sure they…

Last night, I went downstairs to check on the boys, who were camping out in the living room. This was around 1 AM and as I came down the steps, I heard a familiar ticking sound that sent chills through my spine. It was the ignitor on our gas stove. I ran into the kitchen to find the back burner barely burning but thankfully it was. I say thankfully because if it hadn't actually ignited the gas, the whole house would have been filled and that doesn't end well. This burner had been on for hours and stone was hot, as was an empty pot, just off to the side. About 6 inches from the burner was a pair of oven mitts that while flame resistant, still managed to burn.…

It's been a particularly difficult Christmas this year. The kids have been having a rough time, and if I'm completely honest, I'm running low on patience. It's not their fault, and at the same time, it's not my fault I'm struggling as well. The boys are sad, angry, and have been sick for a month. It's the first Christmas since their mom left, and it's been a very emotional one. Everyone had a great time celebrating Christmas with their mom and grandparents. I'm so happy they had that. It's incredibly important to me and I'm so glad they had it. We had a good Christmas here as well, but it was very emotional, and they were very overwhelmed. I should specify that Gavin was not experiencing these problems because he's…