It only took until Wednesday morning of this holiday break for me to fully accept the clear and well-precedented reality that the kids and I share different views of what a “break” is. Mine involves them making their own breakfast; coincidentally, this is also how I define “summer.” Theirs involves relentlessly asking for things covered…
While I have yet to tire of the weather in the Pacific Northwest, I have to admit that the signs of spring always lighten the load a bit. It’s not so dark in the morning, so I can see the tops of whatever tulips my aggressively hungry squirrels have forsaken, and the greens that put…
It wasn’t a bad dream. There was no nightmare to wake up from. It is all real. So very real. Saturday was an opportunity for friends and family of my brother George to gather and celebrate his life, and all that he brought to those he touched. I can’t say enough how incredible the outpouring…
Last night, I lost one of only four people in the world who have been in my life since the day I was born. Tragically, my brother George passed away in our hometown of Walnut Creek, Calif. after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle on his way to a dentist appointment in…
I admit it: I’m a proud father. But when you have a son who counted to 100 at the age of 2, studied and understood the U.S. highway system at the age of 4, and explained weather patterns to teachers in 2nd grade, you know you have a pretty special kid on your hands. Every…
With more than 1 in 88 kids in the U.S. now being diagnosed on the autism spectrum, it’s impossible to find anyone who hasn’t been touched by it in some way – either through neighbors, friends or relatives. And as challenging and difficult as it may be for us parents to cope with all that…
By David Kaufer In my last post, I wrote about the bittersweet moments that come with parenting a child with Autism. And as I usually try to do, I focused on an positive aspect – the great joy that comes from a developmental step – even a minor one. Mikaela Tragically, today there are two…
By David Kaufer A few weeks ago Ty asked me what “bittersweet” meant. He had been taken in by “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve after hearing it a few times and wanted to know the definition of the word. I tried to explain that it’s when you experience something that could be both good and…
