John's Mom
John's Mom
- Location
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Birthday
- September 14
- Bio
- My name is Shannon. My husband Michael and I live in Philadelphia. Our son John was recently diagnosed with autism. I am writing this blog to reach out to other parents like myself, who are facing the challenges of raising a child with autism, and maintaining marriage, sanity and coffee addiction.
MY RECENT POSTS
- Spreading The Word
September 01, 2011 01:16AM - The Unnamed Condition
June 16, 2011 08:48AM - Giving Up is Never an Option
June 03, 2011 12:07AM - John's Hideaway
June 01, 2011 01:53AM - The Birthday Boy
May 19, 2011 01:18AM
MY RECENT COMMENTS
- “My son who has autism,
takes off on me too. Most
recently he
did it and ran
right…”
June 16, 2011 09:01AM - “Thank you, Jane.
Hopefully the people of OS
will see that I'm
not saying
that th…”
May 10, 2011 12:04PM - “I'm always telling my
teenage nieces that they
couldn't have
been a teenager
when…”
April 29, 2011 08:41PM - “Thank you very much more
your words of encouragement!
It's
much appreciated!”
April 26, 2011 11:03AM - “Thank you all for the
great feedback. I really
appreciate all
of your
thoughtful…”
April 24, 2011 11:53PM
Spreading The Word
Sometimes I feel as though autism follows me wherever I go. And the reality is that I take autism with me wherever I go. For example, whenever I take John to the beach. This summer my son was like a walking billboard; spreading the word near and far.
The Unnamed Condition
Discrimination can take on many forms. It can be very straight forward or very subtle to say the least. Living in this country we have all been witness to the very often ugly consequences of discrimination many times and may have even been
… Read full post »Giving Up is Never an Option
John's Hideaway
There is a place in southern Delaware, about fifteen minutes away from Ocean City, Maryland that has become the happiest and most special place in the world to my son. It is a lovely place, far from the hustle and bustle of the city; where quiet and r
… Read full post »The Birthday Boy
Not long ago, my father and I were out shopping when we noticed a display of decorations for a pirate themed birthday party. Looking over the rows of eye patches, pirate hats and stuffed parrots, I suddenly felt a sense of unease set over me. I motioned for
… Read full post »Could My Son Have Been Spared?
When you have a child who is diagnosed with a lifelong, incurable condition it causes you lifelong, incurable pain. I have yet to find the words to adequately describe the emotions I have had since John was diagnosed with autism earlier this year. I b
… Read full post »My Mother's Day Wish
When I first made the decision to write about my experiences with autism, I did so in order to reach out to other parents who, like myself, are facing the challenges of raising a child with autism. These last few months have been an eye opening experience. I have
… Read full post »A Pizza, A Hangnail and A Stomach Ache
Today was definitely not a good day. Today was the day that I have dreaded. I have often read and listened to stories by other parents who have a child on the spectrum talk about tantrums. John has had a few; he
… Read full post »When I was a little girl, I thought my mother was a singer. Between the ages of three to about fifteen you could pretty much tell me anything and I would have believed it. I was the only nine-year old I knew who still believed in Santa Claus, only to… Read full post »
A Promise to My Nephew
When you first meet my brother Rob, he doesn't seem like the most sensitive person. His favorite activities include sports, sports, and more sports. But those who know him well, see that he is a passionate and emotional human being. Since I am only two years… Read full post »
A Baby Boomer's Perspective
There are a lot of words that describe my mother: opinionated, intelligent, liberal, opinionated, caring, loyal, opinionated, brutally honest and opinionated..... you get the picture. She can be your biggest supporter or your biggest detractor, depe… Read full post »
On the Outside Looking In
Since I first began blogging, I have been talking mostly about my experiences with autism; but recently I was reminded that autism affects everyone in your child's life in different ways. Many parents who have children with special needs will tell you th… Read full post »
One of my lifelong friends and biggest supporters is a working mother of two. Both of her children were strategically planned around her career and she and her husband manage their time in order to balance two jobs and two kids without hassle. While eating lunch… Read full post »
Sometimes Less is More, Sometimes it's Just Less
Prior to becoming a mother, my life was that of a "social butterfly". By the age of twenty-five I had a growing network of friends. Infact, someone once told me that I adopt people the way the old ladies adopt stray cats. I would… Read full post »
John's World: A Guide to Understanding His Autism
In every family, the best of intentions can sometimes be misguided. My circle of family, friends, neighbors, and extended family often ask me about how they can help John or make his life easier. Sometimes, I give them small tokens of advice about how to tr
… Read full post »Is Normal the Next Taboo Word?
When John was first being evaluated for autism, he underwent a long screening process. It seemed as though he was under constant observation. Because, as I learned, there is no concrete test used to diagnose autism. No MRI, CAT scan or blood test will give you… Read full post »
As far as life altering events go, there is nothing bigger than the birth of your first child. At that moment however you viewed the world and your relationship to it, changes profoundly. I often look back at that humid, summer day as the best and most impor… Read full post »
Prepared for the Worst
When John was about a two years old he attended a birthday party in my friend's home, celebrating her son's first birthday. The party was swimming with children. Though he seemed to be enjoying himself, John made no effort to play with any of the other… Read full post »
In 1999, I began waiting tables at a local restaurant. It wasn't thrilling work but it payed enough and I always enjoyed meeting new people so I won't complain. On my first day the head waitress was walking me around introducing me to the rest of the staff.… Read full post »
John's Pop Pop
"Pop Pop." It's the name my father gave himself when he discovered he was going to become a grandfather. It's a cute name and completely fitting for my dad, with his cropped grey hair, portly frame and spectacled face. But, for me the name holds… Read full post »
Autism is the New April
For my entire life, April was just another month on the calendar. It meant my younger brother's birthday, opening day for baseball and sometimes Easter. However, since John has been placed on the autism sp
… Read full post »On a sunny Saturday morning in April of 2009, my husband and I decided to take John to the Berlin Mart in New Jersey to look for a sailor suit for John's first birthday pictures. John spent most of the day in his coach observing the colorful and animated… Read full post »
Failure to Launch
Like any parent I only wanted to see the best in my child. I never wanted to acknowledge that John was different than other children his age. So when I first began noticing changes in John's behavior, mannerisms, and social skills; I tried to dismiss them. M… Read full post »
Breaking the mold little by little.
Baseball and Autism
What does baseball have to do with Autism? A lot more than most people would ever imagine. At least from my perspective. Anyone who has ever attended a Walk for the Cure event may have noticed that attendees often where t-shirts emblazoned with "Team Tom" or "Team… Read full post »
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