This might end up being the longest post that I have written. I am largely writing it as a way of pulling together all of the things that have helped and therefore to remind me what is working. I hope as a side effect of that you find something useful.

Over Christmas Tam has enough to deal with. I try my best to protect him and show him all of the love that he could want. We have as much fun as we can and when fun is not welcome we prop each other up and work through it.

It’s been a long time since I have posted anything. Not that I haven’t wanted to say anything or had anything to write about, it’s just been a real difficult time for Tam and myself. I have been writing a journal twice a day to try to get a handle on things but to be honest what I have written in that journal I would not post. So right now I have decided to post a few new things to bring Tam’s journey up to date. So over the next week I will be posting an update on how…

I have tried not to watch the news of what is happening around world and for the best part have stayed away from the television news. However, I feel that the talk of fake news and conspiracy theories being bandied around are getting to the point where humanity is showing that we have no future. If such a large percentage (and by that I mean anything more than 0.000000000000000001%) believe politicans, conspiracy theories to any more extent than entertainment, and politicians then we are truly…

I got an email from someone (I said I wouldn’t) that I was spending too much time complaining on the website and I should talk more about the solutions to Tam and my problems. After a bit of a conversation and a read back they are right. The posts are a bit “poor me”. I do stand by my reasoning to begin with. They are written from the point of view of a grieving Dad, a Dad that is also grieving for the loss his son has had and how they have added to his life challenges.

A while a go I read Neil Peart’s book Ghost Rider - travels on the healing road. In it he talked about his tiny little soul and the alter-egos that he had. He was grieving for his daughter and wife who died over a short period of time. In case you don’t know the name Neil Peart he was the drummer in a band called Rush. If I say “Tom Sawyer” or “Spirit of Radio” you might know them songs. Anyway I could really align with Neil about the feelings he was having.…

It’s a week since Tams birthday and it has been a real tough week. Tam was sent home on his birthday from school. He was full of anxiety and was asking me to swap his birthday presents for mammy. Heartbreaking. The truth is I would give everything for him to have his mammy.

At 3pm today 13 years ago the world welcomed Tam Samuel Greenwell. My beautiful son. Bev had to have an emergency C section as Tam had wiggled himself into nearly hanging himself on the umbilical cord. Kids!!!

For the longest of times both me and Bev would ask the support staff at school and in the medical profession - “when will Tam speak?”. None of them would give an answer. Now I get why. Every child is different and every autistic child is even more different.

Well it’s the 20th of September today and we have 2 birthdays out of the way (Bevs and mine) with Tams in 4 days.

Over my adult life I have pretty much had a camera all of the time. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony all kinds of cameras. I have used them for my own personal interests and also for work. I have always enjoyed photography and having the wonderful time of watching Tam grow up and the love he had for his mammy was great subject matter.

Happy Birthday Bev