Parenting

My oldest daughter Sophie is not even 3, and she is awesome. She’s unapologetic about the space she takes up, any inconvenience she may cause, or if she passes gas in public. No. Big. Deal.

We take weekend turns. He does vacations and summers. Literally. He takes them away. It is great.

I know what autism looks like, and I understand why people are afraid of it because, at its worst moments, it is desperately, terribly ugly — it is children who can’t communicate, who become adults who are unable to live independently, and who simply cannot cope with the onslaught of sensory input that we barely notice. It is meltdowns that are triggered by nothing and everything, learning difficulties, and services that cost our healthcare system billions of dollars every year.

The “daughter bump” is actually very common when it comes to influencing our political leanings — whether that’s for voters or elected officials. In a study for the American Journal of Political Science, researchers Maya Sen and Adam Glynn found that having a daughter has a marked effect on judges’ decisions.

"We were writing two-letter sounds in writing the other day. Like –Ch, -Sh, -Ph and –Ck. The worksheet had –U-C-K, and the children were instructed to write a letter in front of –UCK to make a word."

A small child secure in her parent or guardian’s love, should never see a prolonged, intense scene of a man, mouse, girl, or dinosaur losing a parent — and in this case, being responsible for a parent’s death — without a trigger warning and notes for discussion.

Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t grow up despondent, purposeless, or lost.

7:53: My shirt is still on. Barely.