Building Friends

The journey of a diagnosis is something I know well, and the unknown can be the scariest part. But the journey to live well with a diagnosis? That’s a real success story. Bipolar Disorder? Welcome to the building.

Catching up with an old friend about his recent divorce. Sending love to everyone who is experiencing a holiday season that looks a little bit different. 

Let’s face it some couples get invited to sex parties, and some don’t. Beth and Peter are people who don’t get invited to sex parties. When a friend of theirs said that she and her husband go to the Westin on 42nd street EVERY SIX WEEKS with two other couples, we had to ask...are they f*cking?Listen and find out.

At the beginning of last year, I was nervous that general education wouldn't be able to support my son’s needs, but what is the alternative to school for people who don’t have the means for private school? Homeschool? What does that look like? Let’s take a look.

We recorded this episode almost 2 years ago and a company offered us a large amount of money to make this show and then they stopped responding to my emails.This original pilot episode is a love letter to our neighbors. We watch from our windows as people come and people go.To our next door neighbors who just left, I'm sad you're gone but I'm really happy we happened.To our new next door neighbors, welcome to the building.

Going through my son’s diagnosis during the same time RFK Jr. spouts disinformation about vaccines causing autism has been a wild ride. Countless studies have proven that there is no connection between autism and vaccines, and yet his rhetoric continues to harm the autism community.My own misconceptions and narrow-minded view of autism really made me drag my feet when it came to getting a diagnosis for my son. When we got him diagnosed, I didn’t expect to be so moved by the experience. I got to see his intellect in action and advocate for the parts of autism that make him uniquely him. I wrote this opening piece when I was coming to terms with his diagnosis. Since then, so much has changed, but I wanted to be transparent about a time in my life where I felt really uncertain about the future. Today, my son is talking so much and participating in school. A couple of months after his diagnosis, he started naturalized ABA therapy, and he continues to grow, play, and be curious and funny at the same time. I am incredibly grateful to the avengers of people who help my son on a daily basis. I am privileged to pay for some services out of pocket and others through insurance. I appreciate you for reading this and giving me grace to have a conversation, make mistakes, and be open about my feelings with another parent going through a similar experience.

We spent the first year of parenting our son feeling so alone. We didn’t have family close by and most of our friends didn’t have kids. Sixteen months after our son was born, our daughter joined the family and we hastily needed to find a new place to live. Stumbling into a 22 unit building with zero charm, we were amazed to discover an in-unit parenting community that changed our lives for the better. We’ve shared a nanny with our neighbors, our kids go to school and daycare together. Complete strangers quickly became our children’s emergency contacts and our closest friends. They supported us physically, emotionally, and saved us from spiraling in on ourselves.We were so lucky to have them,, but it did make us wonder: What does everyone else’s parenting community look like?