Wedding Wonders
Do you ever imagine your daughter’s wedding? How will it be, compared to your own? Bigger or smaller? Will she wear her mother’s wedding dress or pick out one of her own? How old will she be? Of course the most important questions are: Will she ever find her...
read moreOverflowing Nest
If you’re like us and you’ve lived in the same New York City apartment for over 20 years, eventually you run out of space—especially if your adult children move back home during or after college. It doesn’t matter how many...
read morePower of Possibilities
Sometimes (but not too often) I wake up with the idea that possibilities exist to resolve problems big and small in my family and the outside world. Today was one of those days. Dare I say that I felt hopeful? I’m not even sure what “hopeful” means anymore in...
read moreGoing Buggy
What could be better than seeing my daughter start dating a handsome young man? Sarah is 22, on the autistic spectrum, and just lost more than 20 pounds. Her last (and only) boyfriend broke up with her because his parents got divorced, and he had to move to...
read moreUndiscovered Talent
What will happen to Max—and all the other talented college grads—who want to be in the entertainment business? A lucky and persistent few will succeed. Most will struggle, fail, and give up on their dreams. They’ll take whatever job they can find, or go to...
read moreSocial Insecurity
Is it possible we did too good a job of helping our daughter, Sarah, partially emerge from autism for her to qualify for disability payments? Getting supplemental Social Security Income for Sarah wasn’t going to be easy, our Disabilities Advocate, told us....
read moreSparky Rebuilt
Earlier this summer my son, Max, took Sparky on a long walk and noticed our beloved Norwich terrier was limping. By the time he arrived home, Sparky had completely retracted his right, hind paw and was walking on three legs. “Sparky should go to the...
read moreOttoman Odyssey–Part 2
Our flight from Istanbul to Izmir was delayed an hour. No big deal except we’d be an hour late to meet our guide—if she waited—to drive us to Ephesus. The bigger challenge was finding a place where and when Sarah could mix protein powder and water into a...
read moreOttoman Odyssey—Part One
Two weeks ago my family set off to vacation in Turkey and Greece. We said goodbye to cyberspace and hello to sightseeing mini-marathons, interrupted by glorious relaxation at the beach. For me and my daughter, Sarah, there was no cell phone service, no laptop,...
read moreVacation Prep
It’s very exciting to be going on vacation with my family to Turkey and Greece for two weeks. My husband, Henry, meticulously planned all the sightseeing, restaurants and travel arrangements with the same enthusiasm and attention to detail that he gives to...
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Marguerite Elisofon is a New York City writer and the author of My Picture Perfect Family, a memoir about how her family navigated life with a child on the autistic spectrum before the internet and support groups existed. She also blogs about parenting young adults and disability related issues in The Never Empty Nest. Her writing has been featured in a variety of publications, including Time and NY Metro Parents magazine, and her family’s story has been featured by the NY Post, Fox News, The Daily Mail, and on Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny radio show. A Vassar graduate, Marguerite was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives with her husband, Howard, in their mostly-empty nest. She is available to speak about a wide variety of issues relating to twins, parenting, and autism.