Search Results for: blog dear kyle

Dear Parent: Your Student Received a Failing Grade

I was naturally curious when a letter arrived in the mail from Kyle’s middle school. (He’s in ninth grade.) Tearing the envelope open, I noticed it was a copied form letter. ____________________________________________ To the parent/guardian of (my son’s name penciled in here): It has come to our attention that your student received a failing grade in one or more core classes for first semester. Since a failing grade greatly decreases a student’s opportunity for successfully passing future core classes, we strongly suggest that a remediation course be taken. (blah blah blah blah) Sincerely, Assistant Principal Smith ______________________________________________________ At first I … Continue reading →

My Favorite Blog

I had an interesting moment of reflection after talking to my son last night. It was a simple thing, really, but it struck me. Kyle, who just turned fourteen, was playing his vintage “Super Nintendo” System (remember those?) and I stopped to watch him for a while. He has quite a large collection of games, and always wants new ones for his birthday and Christmas. (I have to buy them from special game stores or order them from e-bay.) After several minutes of watching him play, I asked, “Kyle, which of all these games is your favorite?” He thought for … Continue reading →

Dear Kyle

Dear Kyle, You’re away for the summer at your father’s house, and I’m thinking of you. I miss you. Your brother tells me you’ve been contentedly wandering and pacing the yard, as you like to do, smiling and thinking about all of your favorite things. Video games. Movies. I wonder sometimes if you think of me, your mother. I know that your mind leans heavily toward logic. Do you ever have longings? Do you ever have a sense that something is missing while you’re away? Do you have memories of times we’ve spent together, or are your thoughts primarily focused … Continue reading →

Sleeping Patterns

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My son’s sleeping patterns have been altering a little bit. I notice this because he still sleeps with Mom and Dad (something we really enjoy). It seems that he sleeps less often during the day than he used to when he was less adept at tasks like playing. It makes sense though: why sleep if you can have fun? Last night he had laughing fits with his Mom (and Dad was there to record with the video camera!) and he’s also been sitting up on his own with significantly greater confidence. All of this, perhaps, has led to his lacking … Continue reading →

Autism vs. The Junkyard Man

Now that I have long since reached the acceptance stage with my seventeen-year-old son Kyle and his autism, I’m able to enjoy the precious, wonderful quirks that make him so unique. His matter-of-fact approach to the oddities of life brings humor into even the most mundane or tense moments. I’m grateful for that. I look back at the early years when autism felt like a horrible intruder in our lives–a vicious thief– and now see a different side. Kyle is the greatest teacher, the most tender friend, and the sweetest surprise life has decided to give me. A few weeks … Continue reading →

Instant Energy/Happiness/Joy

I’ve written about this before (link) but I felt compelled to write about it again. This blog is about the daily education of a new father: joys, bumps, tips, and trials. The last time I wrote about my son smiling I was experiencing his first smile directed at me. Recently he’s become even more expressive and responsive. His interactions with his parents have become more controlled. The effect on Dad, also, has increased tenfold or more. This past week my wife and I attended the funeral of our son’s great-grandfather (my wife’s grandfather). This was obviously a time of sadness … Continue reading →

My Wife Does EVERYTHING

Earlier yesterday my wife remarked about the fact that she does everything pertaining to our son. While I’d like to be able to disagree with this perspective it would be somewhat impossible. All of our son’s primary needs are met by his mother. My wife feeds him, clothes him, bathes him, soothes him, gets up in the middle of the night with him, spends the days with him, and on and on. Her saintly actions glitter brightly against the stark darkness of my indirect actions. This got me thinking about what I actually do for our son. People keep asking, … Continue reading →

Introductions

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Hello. I’d like to introduce myself. I am the new “Fathers” blogger for Families.com. Each person’s experience of parenting is as unique as their children. My name is Kyle. I’m a 26 year old man living in Northwest Texas with my wife Sarah who is currently 30 weeks along with our first child. Cillian is due August 13th. His predicted birthday coincides with another season my wife and I are very familiar with: the school year. My wife teaches high school and I am currently a doctoral student seeking a Ph.D. in Fine Arts. My specific area is theatre, or … Continue reading →

Bullying: Do You Know Your Child’s Classmates?

Wednesday when I was getting ready for a Halloween extravaganza at my house, the phone rang. “Mrs. Crow? This is Kyle’s teacher. I’m calling because I need to let you know about something that happened to him last week during school.” Immediately I knew this wasn’t going to be pleasant conversation. She continued: “Last Thursday I had to leave the classroom for a while, and meanwhile my aide was dealing with a behavioral problem with one of the students in the hallway. So while there was nobody in the room…um…well, a couple of boys started picking on Kyle, calling him … Continue reading →

Sweet Dreams (of My Special Child)

Sweet dreams ‘till sunbeams find you Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you But in your dreams whatever they be Dream a little dream of me (Dream a Little Dream of Me – Kahn, Schwandt, Andre) Have you ever dreamed (or daydreamed) that your child’s disability had disappeared, or never existed at all? Or maybe your child told you he dreamed he didn’t need his wheelchair, or she dreamed she wasn’t sick anymore? Why do dreams sometimes give us a new perspective, and other times cause us pain? Is it just a longing we have to repair what can’t … Continue reading →