You Will Probably Be Fine
When I was eight or nine, I saw a production of The Nutcracker on television, and fell in love with the idea of ballet. I pirouetted around the house night and day, with dreams of pink slippers in my head, [...]
Because of Mr. Simpson
As a kid, I wasn’t a talker. Silence was my friend. Except for around a few “safe” people – my family, a friend, a cousin -- I never said much. I was a kid who always knew answers in [...]
Inside the Glass Box
When I was little, I felt like I watched a blurry world from inside a glass box. What happened outside the glass - what others were doing and saying, and why - was baffling. It never occurred to me that [...]
On Love and Parenting and Autism
The first time I held my firstborn, mother-love bloomed fierce in me - it was the happiest moment I'd ever experienced. And love kept blooming - within five years I had three beautiful, amazing little boys. They were quite the [...]
In Mindfulness Meditation Class
The teacher in the quiet room tells us: “Turn off your monkey mind. Bring your attention to the moment. What do you hear, see, feel, smell, taste?” And I think: Wut? Are most people tuned out to what they hear, [...]
Some Things I Heard from Grownups
You read too much into everything Why can't you laugh it off Don't take it the wrong way Don't be so literal You’re too sensitive Don't get emotional You've got too wild an imagination You don’t know enough about it [...]
Making a Picture Book
The process of creating a picture book is kind of complicated. It takes many people, but three are especially key: the artist, the writer, and the editor...