Knowing how to start has always been the hardest part about writing, for me at least.  I have so much to say, so many great ideas, and I want to just delve in there and let the words flow onto the paper, or in this case the computer screen, without every really giving any thought to if any of what I am writing would make sense to someone reading it.  
My of my readers don’t know me from Adam.  They don’t know why kids, or understand what my life is like and how I have made it to where I am today.  It is my hope that this blog would paint a better picture of my life to those that take the time to read it, but still the problem remains, how do I start?
What is too much information?  I assume that all of the technical garbage would just be a bore.  No one really wants to read an in-depth psycho-social lol.  People want action, humor, drama, and excitement.  Sorry folks, but my life is lacking in so many of those areas lol I do have quite a bit of humor though when it comes to my children.  On a daily basis they do things that shock me, make me laugh, make me cry and also make me want to rip my hair out.  
For those who don’t know me, I have three kids.  My oldest, a boy, is sixteen.  My middle child is eight, and my youngest is six.  I have had my ups and downs with each of them, which, I think is normal for any parent.  I don’t think my situation is all that unique, however, I do feel that it is special.  I’m a single father and my eight year old daughter has Autism.   She was nearly three years old before we got an actual diagnosis for her even though I had suspected Autism for a long time.  As an infant she wasn’t developing normally.  She rarely made eye contact, would not laugh, or show interest in anything, not even the toys that hung above her crib or car seat.  She would not reach for things, or hold a bottle.  When other children could crawl and pull themselves up, my daughter could not even sit up without support.  I had to prop her up in her high chair or shopping cart.  I would put her in an infant carrier at the store until she was too big to fit in it.  I received many dirty looks for this, but, those people just did not understand.  
At an early age my daughter had already been exposed to more tests and hospital visits than most adults.  She was in physical therapy since she was nine month old.  I was told that she would never walk; at this point everyone was saying that she had cerebral palsy and possible retardation.  I didn’t accept this prognosis and sought out alternative treatments.  
A combination of diligence, therapy, support from friends and family as well as prayer was all it took to finally see my child take her first steps at the age of 24 months.  She wore braces on her legs for about the next two years, but at least she was walking.  Today, she can walk, run, and get into just about everything in my house lol
She has low muscle tone and hyper extension of the extremities, but that is easily dealt with.  When she is tiered she rests, and when we have to walk long distances I have a seat which is a combination wheelchair/ stroller that’s specifically made to accommodate older children.  
Despite her disabilities, my daughter is a happy, energetic, and playful.  She can read small sentences, knows her ABC’s, is beginning to learn punctuation, and speaks in two to three sentences.  She still wears pull up’s, needs help bathing and dressing, brushing her teeth or doing her hair, but she excels in other areas like music and creativity.
So, that is a basic introduction to my daughter.  My six year old son has ADHD but is otherwise a typical child.  My biggest issues with my son are his hyper activity and basically being a six year old boy lol.  He is quite a hand full, and at times, I feel that I am too old to deal with him, but he is also very kind and loving.  He helps me quite a bit around the house (when he feels like it) and he will help out with his sister as well.  My oldest son, though he has a different mother than the younger two, is currently in my custody.  My oldest son came to live with me when he was thirteen.  He doesn’t have any contact with his mother (by his own choice) although she tries.  He is just not ready to forgive her for things that happened which led to her losing custody, and I don’t feel the need to press the matter. When and if he is ever ready to forgive her and try to mend their relationship will be entirely up to him. Because of issues regarding my daughter, my oldest son chooses to stay with his grandparents for the time being, but that is an entirely different story that I will save for another day.