( Read more... )

Just got back from my daughters' talent show (we stopped off for a well-earned McDonalds on the way home)..

Even though I go every year, there's something about watching a group of special needs children singing, dancing, telling jokes and generally having a hoot and a half on stage which makes me want to laugh, cheer and cry my eyes out, all at ( Read more... )

Dear daughters,

You know I love it when you take an interest in the world around you, which is why I didn't complain last week, when I came back from a phone call to find the two of you scribbling over the printout of my latest manuscript. After all, you'd seen me poring over it, red pen in hand. Why not join in?

Watching me separate the novel into ( Read more... )

What kind of 4-yr-old boy asks Santa for something other than presents?
My son, that's who.

Years ago, back when we lived in England, I met with his pre-school teacher for the usual 'Come see how your kids are settling in after the first few months' chat. She told me she'd given the class an assignment to write a letter to Santa.

When it came to his ( Read more... )

I had a long, and somewhat one-sided, discussion with one of my 16-yr-old autistic daughters yesterday.

Basically, she told me that, while she understood she'd been naughty, the punishment of taking her computer priviliges until after lunch seemed a little excessive and that, if her mother was around (Senior Management is off on a business trip for ( Read more... )

Some other time, some other place, and things would be different, maybe.
You might even know my name. You might even love me.
But if you'd let me share your world, I promise I could make things right.
So won't you let me share your world?
Won't you let me in?

I wrote those lyrics in 1998. Back then, my 3-yr-old twin daughters lived in their own ( Read more... )

On Saturday, I took the family for our weekend treat, a fancy meal at a local restaurant.

When it was my turn to order, I turned the volume down on the CD player so the guy on the intercom could hear me. So far, so normal, but just after I paid for our food, one of my daughters called out from the back of the car. She said 'Louder' and twisted her ( Read more... )

My twin daughters are fifteen today.

Their birthdays always bring out conflicting emotions in me.  On the one hand, I'm a proud dad who loves cake, on the other, they're a painful reminder of just how far from normal the girls are.  They have a vague idea of what a birthday is, but little interest in us or the presents we bought them.

On the plus ( Read more... )

I had to take one of my teenage daughters to see the doctor this morning.  I'm not sure what's wrong with her, but she's definitely a little under the weather.

One of the many downsides of being severely autistic is that she can't tell anyone what hurts or where.  It took a good ten minutes to get her to allow someone to check her inner-ear.

The ( Read more... )

No writing-type writing today. I need to recharge the old emotional batteries.

Spent the morning with my two daughters, attending a ‘meet the class’ get together at their new school. They were nervous at first, just as I’m sure normal fourteen-year-olds would have been. They met their teachers and classroom assistants, as well as the other children ( Read more... )