Dear Toddler Mom From Chuck E. Cheese

Dear Toddler Mom From Chuck E. Cheese:

Hi there. Remember me? I'm the one who got hit in the back of the head with the heavy wooden skee ball you let your toddler throw. I'm also the one who gave you the dirty look as you retrieved it from between the legs of another child at a neighboring game and handed it back to your toddler to try again.

And again.

Just An Observation...

My Daughter Was Thoughtless Yesterday, And My Heart Aches For It

Last night was a hard night. I got a call from a family friend, who put me on the phone with her daughter, and then I got my heart broken.

My beautiful, usually kind, mostly thoughtful girl did something awful yesterday.

She gossiped.

These Are The Kinds Of Things That Make Autism Such A Fun Ride Sometimes

As some of you know, David is currently taking piano lessons. He's doing very well with them, too! I really don't have to nag him to practice, and his teacher says he's one of her best students.

So imagine my surprise when David's father tried to drop him off at his lesson week before last, and found that no one was home. I hadn't received an email cancelling his lesson, so I was clueless as to what was going on. It's not a huge deal, though - his teacher would surely set up a make-up lesson, so I forgot all about it.

Last week on lesson day, I got an email in the morning from his teacher, apologizing for not getting ahold of me sooner. Unfortunately, her father passed away the day of that missed lesson, and she was knee-deep in funeral plans and family visits. I wrote her back immediately to reassure her that it was not a problem and to offer my condolences to her and her family. How awful.

When I got home from work, I sat down with David and explained that there wouldn't be any piano that day, because something sad had happened. Miss Ginny's Daddy died.

What Happens When Men Get A Taste Of Childbirth? Check It Out!

I have no idea who these guys are, but they (and their high-fiving wives) just gave me the best laugh I've had in a month. Check out what happens when men get hooked up to a machine that simulates labor pains.

And then laugh. Laugh and laugh and laugh.

Sit Back, Enjoy The Song, Then Hug Somebody You Love

Zach Sobiech is dying of osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that mostly strikes children. He turned 18 on Friday, and went to prom with his girl. His class graduates next month, but he's not sure he'll be with them when they do.

Zach began writing music after his diagnosis, and uploaded his original song "Clouds" to YouTube, where it quickly went viral. On Monday, dozens of celebrities posted a love letter response -- joining forces to lip sync to Zach's voice, singing "Clouds."

A Video We All Need To See: "This Is Water"

I was going to start this post by saying "This video is for all the graduates out there," but the truth is, it's for all of us. We're all in here. All out there. All swimming in the same water.

The simple, unbridled humanity of this beautiful commencement address to Kenyon College by author David Foster Wallace in 2005 is made all the more poignant by the author's untimely death three years later. The original audio has been beautifully edited with this video, put together by the artists at TheGlossary.com.

This one hit me right in the feels.

Maybe it's the kid in the video who displays some autistic-type behaviors (holding his ears, hugging himself). Maybe it's because I've been that tired, overworked, bored, frustrated person entirely too much of my life.

All I know is I watched this video, and I'm seeing people today. Really, really seeing them.

Seeing us.

Because we are all part of a bigger us.

Come on in, the water's fine.