Like the amphibian Too much time on land fatigues me Depletes me of life-sustaining nutrients Sucks me dry And sends me on a desperate retreat Back to the waters Where I can submerge myself In what is familiar Fluid, quiet, safe. I can somnambulate beneath the surface Removed from land’s sounds, sights, smells I can …
Most of us have multiple identities. Few (actually, probably no) people in this world can claim a existence that’s purely homogeneous. We are all different in some way, and usually in several ways. However, there’s a pretty distinct difference in our perspectives and our experiences when our specific differences fall within marginalized and/or minority groups …
All of me: how do I know where blackness ends and neurodivergence begins? Read More »
I was filling out a form and realized for the first time in nearly a decade that I would need to fill out the “occupation” line differently than I have done over the last several years since I am now working nearly full-time outside the home. It gave me pause, because it reminded me of …
Only slept an hour last night. Couldn’t stop thinking about life, death, race, gender, violence, deceit, corruption. About #WalterScott. About everything. I had “the talk” with my kids this morning in the car. Not the “birds and the bees” talk. The “how to stay alive because you’re black and therefore a threat” talk. Don’t wear …
Black Lives Matter??? The Day After (#WalterScott) Read More »
Dear “autism community,” especially autism parents, Far too frequently the perspectives and experiences of autistic adults are dismissed by autism parents. Not by all parents, of course, but too many. We are told that we are “too high functioning” to understand what you are “dealing with.” We are told that we cannot understand the “severe …
This post is about Disability Day of Mourning. But before I can post about that, I need to share something else first. I promise you it will make sense when I tie it all together. (At least it makes sense in my head…) When I think back about some of my thoughts (and comments) from …
STOP KILLING US/Disability Day of Mourning/#Disabled Lives Matter/#DDOM Read More »
(This is also cross-posted on the Respectfully Connected blog HERE.) In the US, Valentine’s Day is one of the most successful commercial endeavors of the year. In the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day the pressure gradually increases until the big day arrives. Jewelry, roses, chocolate, and stuffed animals are sold in seemingly endless quantities. …
(This is also cross-posted on the Autism Women’s Network blog, available HERE.) Long before the day we received a formal autism diagnosis, I already knew my daughter was Autistic. However, I hadn’t picked it up at first – not because the signs weren’t there, because they were, but because I didn’t see anything problematic in …
Autism, Therapies and Acceptance: A Mother’s Perspective Read More »
(This is also cross-posted on the “Respectfully Connected: Journeys in Parenting and Neurodivergence” blog, available HERE.) How do I write about my parenting style? It has become so intuitive that though I know it’s different, I don’t really know how to describe it. Yet I know it’s important to, and I will hopefully find a …
I’m going to highlight a few “good cop” stories on social media this weekend. Feel free to join me. The bad ones get far more attention than the good ones, and I want to show the good ones some love. In a recent post about my daughter’s short disappearance at my son’s school, I briefly …
