Hey, man. This is a very special post, in that I tend to keep my son Bennett out of the limelight for his privacy and protection. As a coach for men, however, I require guys to open up in sessions on a daily basis, and allow themselves to be vulnerable, no matter how uncomfortable it makes them.
So, in the spirit of men communicating with other men, I'm coming out from behind my desk—so to speak—and putting it all out there, sharing something deeply personal and private with host Mark DeGrasse, on his podcast, about the challenges we experience fathering autistic children.
EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A DAD, I believe you will benefit from this podcast. Here's why:
Many men have what is called a "father wound"; they are doing self-work in an effort to heal trauma from a less than optimal paternal relationship. For some this means abuse, for others neglect, or maybe dad passed and they are still dealing with his loss.
Masculine identity. The father archetype is the epitome of masculinity. And since men learn from other men, it can be eye-opening for guys to discover that it's not necessarily an excess of machismo that truly makes a man, but the sensitivity and restraint that an alpha male shows in his paternal role. Think: Harambe the gorilla (RIP).
Modeling Maleness. This piggybacks off of the previous idea, in that men learn how to be men by watching and listening to other men. If you haven't had appropriate male role models in your life—which was definitely my childhood story, making male mentorship critical to my personal journey—being a fly on the wall for this kind of interaction can be informative and instructive.
So with that, here's the episode. I've embedded the video for convenience, but I encourage you to check out Mark's website Dads In Autismland for more excellent content on the subject.
Enjoy.
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