Mothering Outside the Lines
The Bus Stop Moms From my morning window I would watch as they huddled casually, tossed light conversation back and forth, an occasional eye towards their kids who played and laughed together, finding sticks, tracing shapes and letters in the dirt. After the big yellow bus swallowed their chattering children, the moms would often stay […]
Today’s Truth
We all have challenges, right? Bink has rocky periods, when her anxiety rises and OCD rears its particularly ugly head. There is no easy or quick fix for these times, though we try many things. When she hurts, I do, too, with my whole heart. I know things will change, because they always do, but […]
Questions, Questions, Everywhere
When Bink was young, I didn’t know if she’d ever be able to ask questions. She had words at age three and four, five and six, but not in a conversational way. She didn’t point at things. Figuring out what she needed or wanted involved some combination of detective work, intuition, and guessing, the […]
MORE AUTISM AWARENESS: RITUALS
AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH: DAY 18 Routines and rituals. Don’t we all have them? Under the best of circumstances, they can add order, meaning and beauty to our lives. For many people with autism, they go beyond that, offering comfort, safety, structure, and learning opportunities. Life with Bink is rich with these practices and observances, ranging […]
Poetry, Autism, and Statistics, Oh My!
Hello! I’m happy to share that my poem, Autismville, won the Songs of Eretz Readers Choice Award Contest, and another of my poems, 7 AM, came in second! If you’d like to see the official announcement, you can click HERE If you voted in the contest, thank you, thank you! This is an international contest, […]
Am I blue?
Hello, I’m re-posting this poem I wrote last year about Autism Awareness Day, which is April 2. If you know someone with autism, today is a great day to acknowledge them. Tomorrow works, too, or next week, or anytime. If they like deep pressure, give them a big, squeezy hug. If they don’t like to […]
April is….
Autism Awareness Month: Day 1 Dear Reader, You may have noticed that I write about life with my daughter, whose blog name is Bink, on a regular basis. There are poems, and stories, and sometimes pictures of her scribbles, and an occasional photo of her from the back, or from a distance. I am […]
Returning to Autismville
Good day! Below, the second of three of my poems that are eligible for the Readers Choice Award over at Songs of Eretz. Here is the poem, along with the Editor’s words and poets notes from the journal: Editor’s Note: Nominees for the Songs of Eretz Readers Choice Award have been or will be […]
7 AM, Redux
Dear Reader, I’m so pleased to share my first of three finalist poems from the Songs of Eretz poetry contest. Though I didn’t win first place this year, each finalist poem is eligible for the Reader’s Choice Award. Steve Wittenburg Gordon, the Editor of Songs of Eretz, published the poem and the following commentary on […]
Inappropriate THIS
Inappropriate this I love Caillou. For those who are unacquainted, this is a cartoon show about a little boy by this name, geared to toddlers. “Yes,and….” you might say. Well, my twenty-five year old daughter loves Caillou, too. That statement might seem unusual in the world of “typicals,” those whose wiring is neurologically consistent with […]