Off the Air

Your Great Father’s Day Gifts?

JohnFuller — Fri, 25 May 2012 22:38:18 +0000

It’s a fact. In our household, most holidays and “greeting card occasions” are not celebrated with great fanfare. We do observe most of them, but only birthdays, Christmas and Easter warrant much attention. It’s not that we’re party poopers, although my kids my think so at times. Really, it is a pragmatic matter. We have [...]

Can I Earn Some Money?

JohnFuller — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:30:27 +0000

A common question in our home revolves around finances. With some frequency my children ask, “How can I earn some money?” The occasion prompting such a question is usually something which requires cash for entrance (like a movie, mini golf, or a theme park) or at which they’ll want to buy some treats (junk food). [...]

Seeing Through The Lens Of Autism

JohnFuller — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:18:41 +0000

Temple Grandin is one of the most well-known individuals with autism. She has a doctorate in animal science and is a professor at Colorado State University. Additionally, Dr. Grandin is a bestselling author and respected consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior. From a radio essay on NPR a few years ago, here are some [...]

Dealing With Autism: Starting Points

JohnFuller — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:41:02 +0000

As Autism Awareness Month wraps up, I’d like to offer some additional resources and starting points for understanding and embracing ASD (see previous posts for other suggestions). One of the most helpful approaches we’ve found, widely embraced by the medical and special needs communities, is “ABA Therapy.” Pioneered by Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas, this is [...]

When The Diagnosis Is Autism

JohnFuller — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:08:11 +0000

When we heard the news from a child neurologist, my wife and I were shell shocked. While relived that we had a name for the behavioral challenges we had experienced with him, we were also confused and distressed. We didn’t know what it meant when the physician said that Zane is clearly on the autistic [...]

Seeing God In Autism

JohnFuller — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:12:57 +0000

During National Autism Awareness Month, it is a privilege to have an article about our journey with autism featured in the Washington Post’s blog, Guest Voices. While I recount some of the painful, even disorienting steps we’ve taken along the way, there are some rich moments and lessons: I’ll admit that while it is with [...]

Impact of Fatherlessness

JohnFuller — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:57:48 +0000

I just spent a delightful weekend away with my family. We were away in the mountains, with no internet, and lots of time together. It was great! We played games, talked, and relaxed as a family. I tried to spend individual time with each of the five who made it (our oldest lives on the [...]

Attack of the iPods

JohnFuller — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:05:14 +0000

Last week, in two separate packages, the delivery truck dropped off two new iPods at our home. The beautiful little (really little!) pieces of technology magic are already the pride of their new owners, two of my teen daughters. So now all three of our girls have “portable music devices” with white ear buds that [...]

Searching For More

JohnFuller — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:09:15 +0000

My friend Zeke Pipher has a new book out, and I found it to be candid, engaging, challenging, and also rather convicting. Its called, Man On The Run: Helping Hyper-Hobbied Men Recognize The Best Things In Life. Here’s a quick excerpt: I’ve lived the first thirty-nine years of my life by Irishman Laurence Sterne’s creed: [...]

Five Tips To Help Survive A New Baby

JohnFuller — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:17:02 +0000

‘Tis the season…for babies! A number of co-workers and friends are welcoming new little ones into their families.While I think most will adapt well to being new parents, some of us have not made that transition to life with a baby so easily or quickly. I’ve often said that getting married was oh-so-natural, but learning [...]