BethFamily and Friends

When the autism spectrum wins

After a month of hunting down posts about Beth’s childhood, my mind wandered to our other child. How has he fared through all of this? I remember first thinking in terms of Beth’s disorder “winning” during a Skype therapy session for obsessive-compulsive disorder. The therapist sought to personalize, yet disassociate the disorder from Beth in a way. She tried to objectify…
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Family and Friends

My boy

A few weeks ago we were cleaning the house, something we’d neglected for too long. Pollen from the oak trees formed a thick yellow film over all of the vertical surfaces outside. The dust inside was approaching the critical mass for self awareness, and the growth in the bathrooms was beyond sentience – plotting a coup. Adam took the cleaning frenzy one step further. I found him in our…
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Family and Friends

Fun with labels

I was picking up Adam from my in-laws’ place after work last week, and Adam had a little picture they gave him. It was a picture depicting Jesus and Mary. “Do you have your picture Adam?” my mother-in-law asked as we were leaving. “Yes Memere,” (that French-Canadian thing again) Adam replied. Later, as we were backing down the driveway, Adam asked, “why does…
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Family and Friends

Mutiny on the pitch

It didn’t take long. Adam just had his first soccer practice, and already the parents are planning the coach’s ouster. From what I hear it might be deserved, but I’ve never coached little kids so what do I know? First, there was the last minute way it was organized… as in: nine o’clock the night before we got a call from the coach – complete with a shopping list…
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Family and Friends

Adam bomb

Maybe it’s his small body. Maybe it’s just hardwired into a four year old boy. Adam is showing an early flair for maneuvering, pattern recognition, and tactics. I think he’s worked out every long approach to a padded landing in the house. “Adam, no running!” comes out of my mouth on autopilot, like “God bless you” when someone sneezes. It comes out a…
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Family and Friends

Unheralded classics

Among the likes of the wheel, the steam engine, integrated circuits, the moon landings, and the polyester cotton blend, one of humanity’s greatest (if overlooked) achievements is the Koosh Woosh. In the late 1980s, a small toy company made a bundle selling funny little balls made of strands of rubber. Maybe you never had one. Maybe your parents didn’t love you. We had several &#8211…
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Family and Friends

The sound of trouble

I think paternal instinct is underrated. Mothers are given credit for “the bond” and knowing instinctually when their kids are in trouble, while fathers are relegated to second class parenthood. I know, I know. Fathers miss out on gestation and the birthing experience, but I’d put my ear for trouble up against any mother’s. Now Cheryl might say the ear is only effective…
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Family and Friends

4 July 2009

Here’s a couple take aways from my 4th. Miguel makes an awesome steak on the grill, rivaling anything I’ve eaten… anywhere. If this is his first attempt in 15 years, his potential is scary. Mike is not your average stuffy neurosurgeon. Granted, he’s the only one I know, but he defies my stereotype. There’s a variety of water gun/cannon out there that’s very…
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Kitchen Sink

It came in the mail

I was in college when I got my first SLR camera. It was an inexpensive (re: free) Pentax. A gift in fact, something that wasn’t getting any use from it’s previous owner. I got it with three lenses: an awkward telephoto zoom, a 50mm and a 35mm. When it broke we bought a Canon Rebel with a kit lens, then a “super-zoom” digital camera, then our current Nikon – again with…
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