Comments on:

By: Viviana

Viviana — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:54:19 +0000

As a school teacher, reading about your son helps me to better understand some of my students, and particularly how their parents feel/cope with parenting an exceptional child. Thank you. I look forward to more insights.

I, too, identify with the WTF you’re Hispanic? issue. My mom’s parents were both Costa Rican; my father’s were Swedish and Columbian. I just tell people that I’m brown inside.

Good luck with the novel.

By: Gwen

Gwen — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:07:13 +0000

Joanne: Your comment made me tear up a little when I first read it, and I'm tearing up a little now just trying to respond. Thanks for posting it, and I hope for you to (believe that you will) have positive, meaningful, funny/smart/awesome communication with your son.

Christina: Don't you love it, the way we can simultaneously get favors for looking white and being Hispanic, in an industry that's mostly conducted long-distance so that no one sees our faces or cares what ethnicity we are as long as we meet deadlines?

Haters always have excuses for why others get stuff and they don't.

Anonymous: Thank you. You made me brave enough to do it.

(Except over there, I changed "mr. sacks" to "dr. sacks." Here, I like to keep my mistakes in place. )

Dot: Ha. I like your door metaphor.

By: dot

dot — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:14:46 +0000

Big fan of using music with kids on the spectrum. Thanks for sharing this story of Dallas. Makes me think that I should take into consideration absolute pitch more often. Certain pitches may open the door for learning while others may make my kids want to slam the door in my face!!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 04:01:51 +0000

I think you should post that on your HouChron blog – it is so touching and I believe will resonate with many parents (including the dedicated HC bloggers).

By: Christina Rodriguez

Christina Rodriguez — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:08:52 +0000

Ugh, I've gotten the "But you don't LOOK Hispanic" comment my whole life. Couple that with folks who say it must be "convenient" to be Hispanic because I can use my last name to get illustration contracts with multicultural publishers, and I want to tear my hair out. Wish I had a clever remark to use from time to time…

By: Joanne

Joanne — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:47:53 +0000

What you said, here:
But I see, also, that I'll never understand the way he sees the world, or how much it bothers him to put up with the rest of us. No matter how hard I listen. No matter how much I love him and want to understand.
This really, really resonates with me. My little boy is not quite five and is, I guess, maybe moderate to severe on ye olde spectrum, and I know that no matter how hard I try, sometimes I just can't do what he wants. He doesn't talk too much (though we're working on it) and it makes it pretty challenging. Sometimes I can see in his face that he is BARELY putting up with me and it cracks me up, and also makes me sad. Your son sounds charming, to me. I love the thought of my son talking to me someday, about music, or whatever. Anything would do at this point! I hope you're right about the killing/stronger thing.