I've found that being Autistic has greatly influenced my parenting style and I'd like to delve a bit more into that topic. Many Autistic adults are parents. In fact, most of the Autistic adults I know, especially in person, are mothers. Interestingly enough, those whom I know have tended to gravitate towards gentle parenting styles and … Continue reading Autistic Parenting
BC – Before Children
Flashback Friday – Undergarments
TW: Puberty stuff, body image issues, misunderstanding. Underwear has always been a difficult topic for me. It's not the wearing of it that's most problematic, in my case. Rather, the things I find most difficult are other people's attitudes and expectations about underwear. Especially when they want to have a conversation with me about those … Continue reading Flashback Friday – Undergarments
Volunteering
Over the years I've tried to pay attention to my ability to do various things. However, I don't always manage to notice the relevant patterns until I've ended up in (multiple) difficult and/or embarrassing situations. Volunteering was one of the patternless things in my life until this month. From the time I was 12 years old, … Continue reading Volunteering
Flashback Friday – Christmas Eve Eve or Nap Day
I was around 12 or 13 years old when I discovered an amazing thing. If I took a nap on Christmas Eve Eve, the day before Christmas Eve, not only would Christmas seem to arrive faster, but I had an easier time navigating any family obligations that came up during that holiday. The discovery itself … Continue reading Flashback Friday – Christmas Eve Eve or Nap Day
Flashback Friday – My Lost Stuffed Dog
Photo description: white 1980s era stuffed dog peeking out of a red backpack with blue trim. I'd had my stuffed dog for as long as I could remember. He was my constant companion nearly everywhere I went. He comforted me when I was upset and slept with me every single night. He was my very … Continue reading Flashback Friday – My Lost Stuffed Dog
Election Eve Solace
I'm spending my time on this Election Eve primarily doing things that I enjoy. Watching the kids play with legos, working on my NaNoWriMo novel, eating comfort food (tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches followed by a dessert of Frosted Flakes cereal with the whole milk on the side so the flakes don't get soggy), … Continue reading Election Eve Solace
Flashback Friday – The Balloon
I was reminded this week of an incident that happened when I was in 1st or 2nd grade. It was a lovely fall or spring day in the Deep South, USA and we were having PE/Gym class outside. We first ran around the track, an exercise for which I did not care at all, and … Continue reading Flashback Friday – The Balloon
Flashback Friday – Inflection
I remember reading out loud to my parents when I was a toddler and preschooler. I remember being taught how to change my intonation depending on the punctuation and meaning of the sentence. I was specifically told to do this because it was boring to listen to words that all sounded the same in monotone. … Continue reading Flashback Friday – Inflection
Body Language – When the Knowledge Doesn’t Transfer
Sometimes I say, rather hyperbolically, that I didn't know about non-verbal communication until I was nearly 29 years old. It's a nice sound-bite, but like most nice sound-bites, it's not strictly true. I did know about some types of non-verbal communication before then. I knew that shrugging meant "I don't know." I knew that nodding meant … Continue reading Body Language – When the Knowledge Doesn’t Transfer
Grieving
Content warning - death (both people and pets), grieving, depression; passing mention (no details) of being spanked/hit as a child This year, 2016, has been a particularly rough one for many people. More than a few beloved celebrities have died and many folks I know, including myself, have lost loved ones who were much closer … Continue reading Grieving
Mamautistic 