EP103: Teaching My Daughter That Work Doesn’t Care About Your Birthday

On my birthday November 7th, I had to teach my 10-year-old daughter a hard lesson about adult life: work doesn't care about your birthday. In this episode, I share her reaction when I explained we'd celebrate the next day because my job made me work late, and the beautiful moment when she processed and understood this reality. I also share a breakthrough moment with my 5-year-old autistic son who's been afraid of fire for years—how letter candles (H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y) helped him overcome his fear during birthday celebrations. Learn about preparing kids for adult realities, working with children on the autism spectrum, sensory sensitivities to fire and light, and how dispatchers sometimes make you work all day on your birthday or holidays if they don't like you. Real talk about parenting, teaching life lessons to children, celebrating birthdays late because of work, and finding creative solutions for kids with sensory issues. A touching episode about family, understanding, and watching your children grow. Recorded November 11, 2025. Blog Post Here.  Chapters (00:00:00) - How to Teach An Autistic Child My Birthday(00:04:47) - Happy Birthday!