With my birthday arriving in the middle of July, I’m taking a rare step back to look at how much my life has changed.

I talk about leaving behind a career writing about professional wrestling, finding my real voice through stories about Lucas and Olivia, starting over after heart surgery and divorce, and learning to stop taking responsibility for everyone else’s behavior.

Most of all, I share how Lucas has taught me to be myself without apologizing, trust my instincts, and keep betting on the life I’m building.

It’s an old-school, personal episode about boundaries, growth, unexpected dreams, and realizing that the best birthday gift I could give myself was knowing I can handle whatever comes next. 

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This week, I'm talking about something that's been on my mind for a long time.

People often debate labels like "high functioning," "low functioning," and "profound autism," but I think they're missing the bigger point. My son Lucas doesn't measure his life by jobs, marriage, or fitting into society's expectations. So why do so many other people?

In this episode, I explain why comments about "eradicating autism" struck such a nerve, why I was disappointed by much of the reaction that followed, and why I believe a person's value has nothing to do with how much they contribute to everyone else. Most of all, I share what Lucas has taught me about authenticity, freedom, and appreciating people for who they are instead of what they can do.

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My son Lucas accidentally dumped an entire cup of water over my head. The surprising part wasn't the mess. It was what happened next.

In this episode, I explain why raising a child with autism has completely changed the way I think about patience, discipline, and emotional regulation. Some parenting lessons happen in the moment. Others have to wait until the moment has passed. Understanding the difference has transformed not only how I parent Lucas, but how I respond to frustration in my own life.

I share the story behind the "spill-proof" cup that somehow wasn't, why yelling teaches my son nothing, how staying calm helped us navigate everything from public meltdowns to everyday mishaps, and why I believe children often mirror the emotions we bring into the room.

This isn't a conversation about letting bad behavior slide. It's about recognizing that every child learns differently and that sometimes the most effective lesson begins only after everyone has taken a breath.

If you've ever wondered what parenting a child with autism really looks like, or if you've ever struggled to stay patient in a difficult moment, I hope this episode helps.

It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.

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My daughter Olivia turned 18, and somewhere between scholarship nights, senior prom, and graduation, it finally hit me: my baby isn't a little girl anymore.

In this episode, I look back at the journey that started long before graduation. I talk about the early days of HiBlogI'mDad, when Olivia colored the original blog logo, why surviving my quintuple bypass changed the way I looked at fatherhood, and how my relationship with my son Lucas taught me that parenting has never been about perfection. It's about connection.

I also share one of the most important lessons I've ever tried to teach my children: I don't care how many awards, grades, or diplomas they earn if they aren't good people. Watching Olivia grow into a fiercely loyal, compassionate young woman has shown me that sometimes the greatest accomplishment isn't raising a successful child. It's raising a kind one.

This episode is about letting go, holding on, surviving the teenage years, and realizing that the future you've spent years preparing for eventually becomes your past. If you're a parent wondering where the time went, this one's for you.

It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.

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A quick tap on your kid's leg used to feel like nothing. Then one day it doesn't.

This week, James shares a simple summer pool trip with his nonverbal son Lucas that turned into something much bigger. As his daughter prepares to graduate high school, he's already feeling the weight of time moving faster than ever. That reality hits again when he realizes the little boy he's spent years taking to the pool is now a full-sized young man.

What follows is a story about routines, trust, transitions, and the quiet ways communication happens without words. James talks about preparing Lucas for outings, handling difficult transitions, and why successful days aren't accidents. They're built on years of trial and error, patience, and learning to understand each other.

Most of all, it's a reminder that growth doesn't happen all at once. It stacks up over time, often in ways you don't notice until one ordinary day suddenly feels extraordinary.

If you're raising a child with autism, navigating special needs parenting, or simply trying to stay connected as your kids grow older, this episode is about the relationships that make progress possible.

Subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who could use a parenting win this week.

It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.

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When my son Lucas was little, one of my biggest fears had nothing to do with autism itself.

It was language.

As a writer, words have always been how I connect with people. They're how I explain myself, build relationships, and make sense of the world around me. So when it became clear that Lucas wasn't developing verbal language, I assumed there would always be a wall between us.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

This week, I talk about the early days of autism parenting, the isolation that comes from not having answers, and why I used to avoid taking Lucas out in public. More importantly, I share what happened over the years as I learned that communication is about far more than speech.

Today, Lucas and I have our own language. It's built through trust, routines, humor, gestures, and years of understanding each other. We share jokes. We make each other laugh. We have a relationship that I once thought would be impossible.

If you're raising a nonverbal child, wondering what the future might look like, I hope this episode gives you some reassurance. The fears you have today aren't always the reality you'll be living tomorrow.

Sometimes the most important things we'll ever hear are said without words at all.

It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.

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When my son Lucas was first diagnosed with autism, I thought speech was everything.

How would he tell me what he needed? How would he make friends? How would he navigate the world? Like many parents, I became fixated on words because I believed they were the key to everything else.

I was wrong.

In this episode, I talk about what happened when I stopped focusing on speech and started focusing on communication. From picture exchanges and communication devices to gestures, routines, and receptive language, I learned that being understood is far more important than speaking.

I also share why parents sometimes become attached to specific milestones, how our own fears can cloud what our children actually need, and the moment I realized that my son's success wasn't tied to verbal language.

Most of all, this episode is about acceptance, connection, and understanding that communication comes in many forms. My goal was never for Lucas to speak. My goal was for him to be understood.

And there's a big difference between the two.

It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.

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My daughter turned 18 this week, and suddenly I found myself thinking about how fast childhood disappears. One minute your kids are toddlers running through the living room with The Wiggles on in the background, and the next they’re adults making plans for the future.

That realization hits differently when you’re raising a nonverbal autistic teenager.

This week, I talk about the fear that comes with watching Lucas grow older, why routines can sometimes hide the passage of time, and what it feels like to realize the future you once dreaded is already here. When Lucas was three, the idea of him being 15 and still nonspeaking felt impossible to process. Now we’re living it — and the truth is, life didn’t end. He’s happy. I’m happy. And the worst-case scenario I built in my mind years ago never fully matched reality.

I also talk about how a quintuple bypass in 2012 permanently changed the way I look at fear, gratitude, and the life we actually have instead of the one we imagined. We get into parenting, uncertainty, adulthood, and why I refuse to define my son by a checklist of deficits or milestones.

Most of all, this episode is about learning to see the beauty in the child you have instead of mourning the version the world expected.

It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.

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People tell me, “We wish all dads were like you,” and I know they mean it as a compliment. But after hearing it enough times at parent-teacher conferences, CSE meetings, and school events, I started wondering what it really says about the expectations we place on fathers.

This week I talk about raising Lucas, why involved dads still get treated like exceptions, the strange culture of applauding fathers for basic parenting, and why the bar for men might be set way too low.

Because showing up for your kids shouldn't be extraordinary. It should be expected.

It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.

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People think raising a child with autism is about behavior management, routines, or finding the perfect strategy. For me, the biggest breakthrough came when my son Lucas finally trusted that I understood him.

This week, I talk about how everything changed once that trust clicked into place. From meltdowns in parking lots to waiting for food at restaurants, I share the small moments that taught Lucas I wasn’t ignoring his needs, even when the answer was “not yet.”

I also talk about the way I communicate with him through gestures, repetition, exaggerated expressions, and consistency, plus why I think patience and emotional regulation matter more than lectures ever could. Along the way, I get into parenting advice, “autism expert” culture, social stories, receptive language, and why every child with autism is different, even when people online try to make it sound simple.

Most of all, this episode is about trust, understanding, and the relationship that grows when a child knows you truly have their back.

It's Here! Get the book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” on audio, digital, or print.

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Also, be sure to read the blog that started it all - Hi Blog! I'm Dad.