Author: James Guttman

Father of two children - one non-verbal with autism, one verbal without.

Little Goodbyes Are A Big Deal

In this house, you say goodbye when you leave.

It’s not about the people around you. It’s about the person within you.

My non-verbal son with autism has always been fiercely anti-mask…although not for a political reason.

I can’t just lay in bed all day. I have kids and responsibilities. Even if I didn’t, I still can’t stay in bed all day.

Then again, it’s hard being a parent at all. Actually it’s hard just being alive sometimes.

Distance learning wasn’t made for children like my boy and, even when he was on task, he wasn’t actually taking in new information.

This kid is made of steel. He’s like a Batman villain.

Say their names and I see a snapshot from long ago. Their ages far exceed my my memories.

You don’t know what’s missing because you don’t even realize a piece should be there.

It’s times like this when I’m forced to bare witness to the barest of witnesses.