Hello! I’m James, dad of my two boys, Tommy and Jude, who are both autistic. We live in Essex in the UK, where as well as being busy bringing up my boys, I’m a carer for my dad too.
About 7 years ago I started sharing stories about our lives online, largely to try and help family understand more about my boys. I found that we were becoming more and more isolated, unable to attend many social occasions, and I wanted them to know why.
I also used to struggle to talk about autism back then. I felt like I couldn’t get the words out to do justice to the amazing boys that Tommy and Jude are, without becoming overly emotional and choking up.
So I started to write. Little did I know the impact it would have on our lives. The people it would introduce me to, the friendships I would make, and the community I would build. The amount it would help me mentally when life became challenging thanks to the support and kind words of people from all over the world, cheering my family on.
It’s changed my life completely, as I juggle being a single dad and carer, I’ve also become a podcaster, content creator, keynote speaker, soon-to-be app creator, and hopefully one day soon a published author. All fuelled by the desire to share our stories and to help other families feel less alone. To feel like we’re part of a community.
Why subscribe?
I know all too well the impact it can have when you find another family you can relate to. A story that feels so similar to your own. There have been many days since I became a dad and autism entered my world that I’ve felt completely lost. Where I’ve questioned everything I was doing, and struggled with the rollercoaster of a journey we’ve been on. Connecting with others and learning from their experiences is what has helped me most, and that’s what I want to do for you here.
For those of you who have no direct connection to autism, you’re very welcome here as these stories are for you too. My attempt at improving autism awareness and acceptance in a world that my boys and so many like them are growing up in, now and in the future.
I’ll be sharing stories from our lives, discussing the highs and lows that me, Tommy and Jude are going through, the progress and the struggles. I’ll always be honest, Optimistic, hopeful, but always honest. I’ll talk about the realities of being a single parent, of being a carer for elderly parents, and a little about my life outside of being a parent (if there is any!)
What attracted me to starting a blog years ago was the actual writing. As social media has changed over the last few years and moved more towards video, it’s meant I’ve written less. Here I’ll be getting back to that, writing longer pieces of what’s going on inside, and talking about experiences and emotions that you can relate to. And unlike the social media algorithms, by subscribing here it will mean you never miss an update
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