Hi Pod! I’m Dad is where I talk through fatherhood while raising a son with autism who does not speak. I’m James Guttman, the dad behind Hi Blog! I’m Dad. This podcast isn’t about tips or solutions. It is about what life actually feels like when autism is part of your home every day, and you are trying to be present for it without pretending it is easier than it is. Some episodes are about joy and connection. Others are about exhaustion, fear, patience, and the quiet moments that never make it…
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Does my son care that I took him back to the town where I grew up? Maybe not. But that's not really the point. This week, I talk about taking my 15-year-old nonverbal son, Lucas, back to Lindenhurst and sharing places with him that meant something to me growing up, even if I'm not sure how much those places mean to him. I also look back at all the outings we've tried over the years. Bowling…
Years ago, I had a dream that my non-verbal son was speaking. Someone in the dream told me, "He's been talking this whole time." I never forgot it. This week, I had another dream about Lucas. Except this time, he wasn't speaking. He was 15, getting himself dressed, walking through a hotel on his own and trying to use a room key. When I woke up, I understood almost immediately what had changed. I'm…
People often assume the hardest part of raising a nonverbal child with autism comes during the teenage years, when your child is bigger, stronger, and harder to physically manage. After raising my 15-year-old son Lucas, I can honestly say the years that scared me most came much earlier. This week, I talk about why the uncertainty of ages 5, 6, and 7 weighed on me far more than life with a…
What happens when your child never asks for anything? This week I'm talking about a new mattress. Not because mattresses are exciting, but because buying one for my non-verbal son, Lucas, reminded me of something I've been thinking about for years. He never asked for it. He wasn't complaining about the old one. He probably would have slept just as happily on two pillows and a blanket on the floor.…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…