Parents of typical children may not appreciate this quite as much, but our little guy Max (6 yrs old and autistic) now knows who the president is. Ask him, “hey Max, who’s the president?” “Pweziden … (wait for it) … Bama!” Wow. That one impresses everyone! Unfortunately, now he’s actually nailing the “O” part of Obama. Melissa, a teacher at Chyrsalis Academy, Max’s very fancy school, worked with him on the president thing and she’s super proud of him and herself (as she should be). Max has his own pronunciations for things that are so cute and as they go away, we’re happy and sad all at once. Chrysalis Academy has been a godsend for Max. Truly gifted teachers and staff. Now our legislature and supreme court...[read more]...

I’m an older guy now!  I’ve lived long enough to get a lot of compliments over the years.  You’re a great guy.  You’re a great lawyer.  You’re a good speaker.  You’re a great basketball player.  And so on, and so on. But yesterday a neighbor woman walking her dog stopped to say “hi” to Max.  I encouraged him to say “hi” in return.  He finally made a grunting noise and I sheepishly told her that was as good as it was going to get.  She thought it was great and started back on her way. Then she stopped and said, “you know, you’re a great daddy.  I’ve watched you with him, always playing and loving, you’re a great daddy.”  I thanked her for the compliment and she went on her way. But her words...[read more]...

Max loves to hike!  He’s a natural.  When he puts his mind to it, he can’t be beat.  Only problem is, all too often he gets distracted by nonsense!