Search Results for: blog are you an onlooker

Float Your Holiday Boat

Tis the season to set sail or at least view a flotilla of festive lights parading on the water. Holiday boat parades are extremely popular this time of year in communities that feature large bodies of water.  The parade of lights is truly a sight to see.  Vessels of all shapes and sizes get decked out in twinkling illuminations and strut their stuff near shorelines crammed with excited onlookers. Among the most popular holiday light boat parades are: December 3rd:  Downtown Hampton Lighted Boat Parade in Hampton, Virginia and Island of Lights Holiday Flotilla in Carolina Beach. December 10th:  Chanel … Continue reading →

Are You an Onlooker?

I’ve been reading ‘Prochownik’s Dream’ by Alex Miller. One of the characters, Marina, an artist, talked about how after she and her husband moved, she felt she was not in the right place and would ‘be cast as an onlooker for the rest of my days.’ As a result they moved back for a time to Melbourne, the city they’d originally came from. Her friend, Toni, also an artist, remarks ’I would have thought being cast as an onlooker is something you allow to happen to you, isn’t it?’ It’s a fair comment. It made me think, how easy it … Continue reading →

Being Your Child’s Social Engineer

Children with special needs could almost always use a little help in the friendship department. They might have difficulty with communication or conversation, feel afraid of how other children will accept them, or just plain don’t know how to relate. As a parent, you can greatly enhance your child’s life by offering a bit of social engineering. “I like ants. Do you?” Children on the autism spectrum, especially those with Aspergers Syndrome, often have particularly narrow interests which are hard to draw other children into. I recently read about a child with Aspergers who had a fascination with ants. He … Continue reading →

One Word That Can Ease Your Mind

I remember when my son was a toddler and I was imprisoned by his tantrums. It was difficult, if not impossible, to go anywhere. On one occasion he screamed so loud and violently that I took him by the hand, abandoned our shopping cart, and went home in tears. I was so troubled by the stares and scowls of onlookers. And I remember the grief I felt initially when I learned my child would be different from other kids. Well, I was reading a magazine article the other day and had a moment of enlightenment. (They don’t come often, so … Continue reading →

Physical Accomplishments–When Did You Learn to Do That?

“Look at me!” and “Look what I can do!”—exclamations that any and every parent of a child older than two has probably heard hundreds of times. Taking pride in and getting attention for physical feats and accomplishments is just another one of those typical childhood phases… Cartwheels, somersaults, headstands, and back flips—somewhere around the preschool and early grade school years, kids seem to become obsessed with getting their bodies to do all sorts of feats and acts. Kicking, riding a bicycle, climbing a tree—it is as if it becomes a quest to see just how much they can accomplish with … Continue reading →

AUTISM: Are You Aware?

April is autism awareness month, so I’m writing this blog to check your awareness level. Whether you parent a child with autism, know someone who does, or if you just happen to be reading this blog for interest’s sake, understanding certain facts about this condition is extremely important. Autism is no longer an obscure, rare thing. It’s all around us, and we need to be tolerant, supportive, and vigilant in searching for answers so that we can eventually shed some light on what is causing this mysterious disorder. Are you aware that autism has now been deemed a national epidemic? … Continue reading →

Creating Your Own Red Carpet Moment

In a previous blog I provided tips on how to get ready for personal red carpet moments. (Not the ones that are televised; rather the moments in life when we want to look our best–weddings, prom, etc.) After I posted the blog I wondered if anyone out there had actually attended a televised red carpet event. Was it possible that I overlooked the remote possibility that a person reading my blog could have actually stepped foot on a real red carpet, surrounded by paparazzi, and masses of cheering onlookers? So far no one has come forward. Which brings me to … Continue reading →

When Your Child Throws a Tantrum in Public: 4 Steps to Regain Control

“Please…make it stop!” With most of life’s problems, we can’t just ignore them and hope they’ll go away. However, tantrums can be an exception. With the right technique, you can ignore your child’s tantrums and eliminate them–hopefully forever. But it takes guts and determination. My Tantrum Hell When my son Kyle was five, his autism made language difficult. Rather than express his frustration in words, he screamed. He would lay on the floor, screeching, sometimes hitting himself and kicking his feet. This made traveling to public places a challenge. At the grocery store, Kyle would spot a toy or book … Continue reading →

Coffee During Pregnancy?

One annoying thing that pregnant women sometimes have to deal with is feeling like they are being judged for everything that they put into their mouths. Of course, there are things that are unsafe to eat during pregnancy and the list of those things is something that most obstetricians and midwives discuss with their pregnant patients very early in the pregnancy. Unfortunately for pregnant women, everyone in society has his or her own idea about what pregnant women should and should not be eating. These judgments from others could not come at a worse time – I mean, come on, … Continue reading →

Too Cheap to Pay for a Sitter

Or too dumb. The suburban Pittsburgh dad, who’s making headlines for leaving his young kids alone at a playground while he ran errands, falls into that category–in my less than humble opinion. Listen, I don’t look kindly on people who leave their dogs alone in parked cars, so when innocent children are ditched by their parents, be it in a vehicle or at a playground, I typically have a hard time holding my tongue… or in this case, my fingers. If you missed the news flash, Govindaraj Narayanasamy has been officially charged with child endangerment after police claim he left … Continue reading →