Posts Filed Under Father’s Day

What Makes Father’s Day Special for Me?

June 20, 2011 by in Father's Day, SPD with 2 Comments

What makes Father’s Day Special for Me?

♥      Listening to the sound of singing coming from the shower…

♥      Hearing giddy laughter coming from the back bedroom…

♥      The feel of a hand slipping into mine just because…

♥      Hearing, “I made you something Dad. No, I won’t tell you… it’s a surprise!”…

♥      Seeing the words, “A pleasure to have in class” and “Excellent effort” on a report card…

♥      Quiet talks about what’s going on, prefaced by the words, “Dad, I need to talk to you.”…

♥      Waving goodbye to a plane she’s on all by herself as she flies away to see relatives…

♥      Noticing that the phrase, “I’m sorry” is easing gently from her vocabulary. Twenty-five cents per slip up has worked wonders…

♥      Seeing her skip rope in a show that is meant for duets on her own just to show off what she has taught herself to do…

♥      Going to school everyday even if it’s sometimes hard to do…

♥      Watching her happily glide through the mall as she thriftily shops with her mad money…

♥      Being able to say, “You’re a grump in the mornings” and not witness a meltdown…

♥      Noticing that the stresses of the day are more easily handled as time passes…

♥      Discussing thoughts about life that crop up when we share moments together…

♥      Getting smiles of pure love and contentment that come from out of the blue and are meant just for me…

I am a father because of my sensational daughter, Rissy.  And, I am a very lucky father indeed!

Fathering is Not Mothering

June 19, 2011 by in Father's Day with 15 Comments

I have heard more women than I can count complain about what their husbands do or don’t do – and generally the message is that they are not good husbands/fathers.  That’s subjective, of course, but nonetheless, that is the message on blogs, forums, twitter, facebook – you name it.  It’s sad, but it’s true.  Moms complain more than they compliment.  Or at least I think they do.  (Not what you were expecting for a Father’s Day post?  Bare with me.)

How many women – really – do you hear bragging about how their husband ‘gets’ their kids?  How many women do you hear going on and on about how their husband automatically understands how stressed they are and picks up the slack?  How many women out there do you hear gushing over how great it is to have a husband that goes to therapy every week and coordinates the IEP meetings too?  

Yeah, not many.

Now there are exceptions to every rule, for sure. 

Take Alysia’s husband for example.  Although he remains anonymous in her writings, we know he went out of his way to find a solution to their son’s need for intense sensory input in the mornings before school.  And that’s awesome.  But, judging by the comments on her post, rare.

For another example, take Ryan, a SPDBN regular contributor, who decided to take his son for regular fieldtrips all over the eastern seaboard to help him get used to new sensory environments.  From malls to an Indoor Track Meet (what is this guy crazy?), he has dedicated his free time – his weekends – to helping his son learn coping skills.  And I am impressed.  But, this too, judging by the comments, is rare.

And perhaps an even more unusual and rare example would be Erik Linthorst, who took advocating for his son to an entirely new level – he made a film.  And dedicated his life to raising awareness for his son and Sensory Processing Disorder.  Now that is something most husbands can’t compete with, right?

Perhaps these men are the exception – or perhaps they are just the few who are actually getting credit publicly.  Bare with me as I delve into the ‘stereotypes’ of Fatherhood, that I am sure some (most) of the men reading this blog don’t embody, but perhaps many moms reading this think their children’s fathers do.  And, of course, why I think these dads deserve more credit than they are getting. …continue reading

On Father’s Day…

June 19, 2011 in Autism, Father's Day, Parenting, SPD with 14 Comments

There’s no question, when it comes to parenting a child with special needs, you moms out there have it tougher.  Often you’re the primary care giver, you’re the one on the front lines, and you

Marriage Advice Special Needs Moms Don’t Want to Hear

June 17, 2011 in Advice, Father's Day, Marriage, Self Care with 9 Comments

I thought in honor of Father’s Day, I would give all of the special needs fathers our there a gift.  I am giving their wives some advice they could NEVER get away with saying themselves – a

Taking the kids to the Zoo {Which cage do you want them in!?!}

June 13, 2011 in Autism, Father's Day, Parenting with 1 Comment

Hey, I’ve got a great idea!  Lets wait until it’s almost 90 degrees outside, load up in the car, drive 45 min, & drag three kids through a crowded zoo.  Three kids that are NOT out

An Interview with A Dad

(editor’s note: This interview was originally published in the SPD Blogger Network monthly newsletter.  Each month we feature one of our writers, and this month we interviewed Ryan.  He has written several posts for us

First Day of School

June 10, 2011 in Father's Day, School, SPD with 2 Comments

Day started off great, sent my beautiful wife off to her high school teaching job. Took a nice shower, listened to my morning sports talk show. Got the kid’s breakfast ready, and took a loving note

Sports!

June 8, 2011 in Autism, Father's Day, Humor with 2 Comments

I’m Big Daddy and I write about my thirteen year old autistic son, Griffin.  Actually, I write about acceptance, gratitude and finding humor within adversity.  But it’s funny stories about living with Griffin that serve

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