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Hi Everyone, my name is Sherry Christian and I'm a "chocoholic".
There -- I admit it. I begin my blog this way to let you know that personally I love Hershey chocolate! I crave the "Take 5" and I never miss the opportunity to enjoy a smooth, creamy mug of hot chocolate at Hersheypark!
And until now -- I never really thought about where these scrumptious goodies come from. I mean why should I? I live in Central Pennsylvania home of the world's largest candymaker -- Hershey.
But, recently there's been action taken that could make Hershey chocolate fans falter. Jobs are being cut, plants are closing and some of those jobs and production lines are being moved to plants in Mexico.
Outsourcing -- it's an integral part of our global economy, and The Hershey Company has been doing it for decades. But the sticking point among consumers and employees seems to be that jobs in Mexico will exist -- while jobs right here in our country, in our town - won't.
See my entire special report "The Future of Hershey."
What I wasn't able to include in my report because of time restrictions is the shake-up in the Hershey Company board.
All three of the people interviewed in my report say the problem began with CEO Richard Lenny. Bill Price says Milton Hershey used to walk the factory floors of the plants and would talk to workers. He would hire people who came up "thru the ranks" and even were graduates of the school as CEO and COO, etc. Lenny was the first CEO to not be an "insider" and Calvin Smith with the local union says he never saw Lenny come into the factory and walk the floor like Mr. Hershey did. The big complaint was that a "bunch of outsiders" were running the company and not living up to Milton Hershey's legacy.
Here are some of the responses I received to my report:
A very good article but a few points where missed , one being Kirk Saville`s comments about 90% of Hershey's products will continue to be made in Canada and America. I find this comment ironic since Hershey is closing all their manufacturing plants within Canada and being a twenty year employee I feel the pinch as do many others. Hershey's problems stem from mismanagement by Rick Lenny and his clan, before this group came along Hershey was reporting record profits almost every quarter, lets face it Lenny wanted to run this company as if it was his own with no care or concern for the future of its long standing employees.... Hershey has had plants in other countries from the beginning , supplying these countries is one thing but to close profitable factories and terminate 3000 plus employees just to give their jobs to the Mexican economy is quite another and Hershey will not cease operations on this Mexican plant because they have made a deal with Barry Caliboue which is erecting a new facility very close to Hershey's Monterrey plant and will be supplying Hershey with its base chocolate.... In my opinion this is the biggest blunder this company has ever made and I believe it will be their downfall. Hershey continually states their decrease in sales is due to higher milk prices, another ironic comment by Mr. Saville , since M&M Mars , Nestle , Cadbury and many other chocolate produces are stating at least 10% higher earning while Hershey loses 96%, I guess these other companies must be using cheaper cows for milk. I would not believe anything this new bunch at Hershey says because they all seem to have gone to the same school to learn how to lie. Hershey has spent too much money hiring incompetent management and has not spent enough on their infrastructure , its that simple. And now all of us employees have to pay for the mistakes of people like Rick Lenny while he retires a multi millionaire.......Sickening
Hershey's has had a tough year financially. They had experienced much success prior to this year primarily by introducing a number of limited edition items, but they failed to support their core brands at the same time. The limited edition chapter has come to a close and now they are struggling to get their core brands back into the forefront. In the meantime their competitors (primarily Mars) have left them in the dust. This is partly why Hershey's CEO Rich Lenny has been asked to leave--there's a lot of pressure to make money and regain share right now in Chocolate Town. Moving some operations to Mexico may be an unpopular, but necessary thing to do.
Dear Ms. Christian,
Last evening my husband and I watched your report on Hershey Chocolate Company and the controversial move to make some of their products in Mexico. On the whole, We found your report to be most informative with bits of information that many of us in the general public were not aware of. However, we became offended in the terminology of "needy children" when speaking of the students at the school Mr. Hershey started.
You see, we are the parents of three children who attended that school. These children come mostly from single parent households, who are at or below the poverty level. The have faced enough tragedy and problems in their lives, but to term them needy on a news broadcast in the area at which they now reside is to stigmatize them even more.
We believe you owe them, the school and the parents an apology. Perhaps you should do an in depth study on the school and educate yourself on the subject.
We found the use of that term totally irresponsible journalism.
Sincerely,
Brenda & David Loechner
Here's my response to the Loechners:
My sincerest apology Brenda and David,
Offending you was of course not my intention with the use of the word "needy". I actually spoke to several employees of the Milton Hershey School -- some of them houseparents and they all said the Hershey Industrial School was for orphan boys and now it's for "needy" children. As the parent of a "special needs" child (my daughter has autism), I am always trying to be sensitive to terms and labels that society places on people. I obviously failed in my report last night.
I am going to blog about my report and include in my blog my apologies to anyone else who may have been offended by the term.
I thank you for your response -- for without it -- I would not have learned from my mistake.
Thanks for watching and I hope you continue to despite my blunder.
Sherry Christian
I welcome more comments about my report -- positive and negative.
I leave you with this interesting quote by Milton Hershey.
While researching my story at the Hershey Archives Community I found this story that increases my respect for Mr. Hershey.
In July of 1936, landscaping was being done on Pat's Hill. Mr. Hershey one day watched two huge steam shovels tearing the earth apart. "These machines," said the foreman, "do the work of forty men." "Take them off," said Mr. Hershey, "Hire forty men."
 ...And the world tastes good cause the candy man thinks it should....
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Not attiTUDE but gratiTUDE!
This is going to be one "big cookie". That's the best analogy I can come up with. Remember as a kid how you would try to make one big cookie from the dough, instead of the individual smaller ones dropped from a spoon.
Well, this is going to be one big thank you to everyone involved in the live broadcast of "21 News This Morning" from Hersheypark and the Viewer Appreciation Party. One big thanks, instead of several individual ones.
It all started in a little cabin in the woods -- oh -- wait -- that's another story.
It all started with Jim Berman, General Manager for CBS 21/CW 15. Jim took the helm roughly six months ago and has really sparked a new attitude among the "station family". Following Jim's call to "create a buzz" with our local programming, I came up with the idea of taking our morning newscast "on the road" for a live broadcast from Hersheypark -- to coincide with our 4th annual Viewer Appreciation Party. From there I ran it by the directors, Steve Metzger and Dave Mallon -- and our producers Christina Wilson and Beth Legner to see if we should attempt this feat. From jump -- they were all on board and there was no stopping us. We then took the idea to our engineers -- Rob Hershey and Scott Swearingen -- because let's face it folks -- they are the ones who make possible anything you see on our air -- from sign on to sign off -- with everything from duct tape, spit and a Phillips screwdriver. (okay -- I'm sure the tools they use are more involved, I just don't know what the heck they're called). But the man in news who does know all that "technical stuff" is photojournalist Jim Stanton. I asked Jim to spearhead the project with "Hershey and crew" and they took it from there. These three are like the Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow to my Dorothy. They took the vision in my head and with the finesse of Michaelangelo and his Sistine Chapel -- painted an incredibly exciting, energetic and entertaining show on the air!
Thanks to Samantha Herman and Michelle Rydzanich in Creative Services for creating special graphics and an adorable animated special open for the newscast -- just part of a lot of work that went in to the newscast before it aired.
You probably can't imagine everything it takes to take a 2-hour newscast on the road. I still don't know because I left much of the details to others. But what I did see were reels and reels of cable to cover 5 different locations at the Boardwalk, the microphones, the back up microphones and the back-up - back-up microphones. The lighting, the portable cameras -- and throw water in the mix, because we were at the water rides area of the park!
Thanks to Pat Cowherd, Jeff Shelly, Nellie Stinson and Garth Millen -- our field crew along with Hershey, Swearingen and Stanton.
And then there's the production crew back at the station - Steve Metzger, Dave Mallon, Mike Taylor, Adrien "pops" Dietz, Jason Friedman, Steve "dude" Dunn, Karl Dietrich and Don "J-baugh" Johnsonbaugh. Holding the fort in the newsroom were Tara Parker, Christina Wilson, Kim Lucey, Courtney Monie and Paul Lynch.
You think I get up early (1am on this particular day) -- that was nothing to the literally sleepless night for many of the production crew out in the field and back at the station.
And when they're usually sleeping, reporters Jaime Meyers and Ben Russell from our dayside and nightside newscasts were "up and at 'em" for the special morning show -- Ben even being blindfolded and getting wet for the cause.
Thanks to Acting News Director Tiffany Coleman-Morrin for rallying the entire news department around this "early morning" gig!
Getting some behind the scenes shots of the newscast was Gregory Harden with our Creative Services department -- several hours before his normal shift.
Field Producer Beth Legner was invaluable in keeping Shane, Steve and I on track and Production Assistant Aaron "Ahoff" Hoffman put his wheels to work running back and forth from all 5 locations making sure Shane had a monitor to see his weather maps and I had my scripts and rundown and any other need that came up. It was a "no-brainer" to put Ahoff in that position because we've seen him run the bases in our softball games.
Once we signed off at 7am -- then it was time to get ready for our Viewer Appreciation Party! Reporter/Anchor Shannon Davidson and the ladies from our Sales Department - Marian Stanislawczyk, Angela Sigler and Kelli Passow greeted the 21 winning viewers and their friends and families with goody bags that included t-shirts that say "We Watch CBS 21"! What a great idea, because you saw the blue shirts everywhere around the park! So these contest winners are now Ambassadors for our newscast -- even well after the party is over.
Kim Hammel and Amy Riegel with our promotions department joined Gregory Harden and grabbed more behind the scenes footage as well as testimonials from our viewers -- so we'll be watching THEM at some point!
For the Luncheon part of the party -- it was so nice to see many of our family come to greet our viewers. Director of Operations - Lou Castriota, Jr., Meteorologists Tom Russell and Chris Sowers, 11pm producer - Bruce Alderfer, Jason Bristol and Jaime Fettrow from our sports department, Our Weekend Morning Team - Angela Watson and Paul Lynch and morning reporter Courtney Monie.
In my 21 years of television broadcasting (I know, I know I'm not making up that number) -- never have I been more proud of "the team" that made the broadcast and party such a success!
Even though this is a collective thank you to the CBS 21 team - I can't leave out the folks at Hersheypark -- the managers , grounds crew, food services department, lifeguards, interns, marketing department, performers and characters for their hospitality and for getting up so early to accommodate our team.
And last but certainly not least because unlike our engineers -- our viewers keep us on the air with just one tool -- the remote control. And we are so appreciative of the loyal CBS 21 viewers who choose to make us a part of their day -- and who made our "day at the park" unforgettable.
On behalf of Steve Knight and Shane Schillaci -- I present this "big cookie" to all of you.
Sherry
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In more than 20 years of reporting and anchoring the news on television, I've reported on more stories than I care to about abuse and neglect of children. Even before I became a mom, it was always hard for me to talk about someone or something that harmed a child. So, I am fully aware that there are people who don't have children's best interest at heart.
But, I still find it difficult to hear about people who put money and career before life. Be it a child, adult or animal's life. There are allegations that key people in our government knew of the dangers of a mercury-based preservative called Thimerosal and still continued to promote its safety and use in vaccines.
An excerpt from David Kirby's book, Evidence of Harm:
In 2005, Los Angeles Times reporter, Myron Levin reported on a leaked memo from Merck & Co., dated March 21, 1991. The memo warned company executives that six-month-old children who were vaccinated on schedule would be exposed to mercury at levels up to 87 times the limit in guidelines on mercury from fish.
This will resonate with mothers. We are told once we learn of our pregnancy to not eat certain fish that may contain high levels of mercury. Why are we told to not eat certain fish because of the mercury level, but there are no warnings about injecting mercury into our babies. Vaccines up until 2002, contained the mercury-based preservative Thimerosal in them. At the same time the "Merck memo" was written, U.S. health authorities were expanding their immunization schedule by adding 5 new shots for children in their first six months. Did our government "not do the math"?!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains that there is no link between Thimerosal and autism. You can log onto its website and see all of the studies on this issue for free.
You can also visit A-CHAMP's website, www.achamp.org and see studies on the other side of this argument.
I have a personal connection to all of this. My 5 year old daughter was diagnosed with autism in 2003, just as the C-D-C, the FDA and the other government agencies were exploring the possible compound effect of the vaccine schedule. My question is not whether Thimerosal causes autism, but why weren't parents made aware of the possible problem? We should have been given the chance to make our decision based on these studies, and we weren't. We were purposely kept in the dark, to protect the government and drug manufacturers who were saying there's no "Evidence of Harm".
And if there is no connection, then why are families having success with chelation? According to Kirby's book, "chelation was developed by the Navy to treat lead poisoning in sailors." It's a controversial treatment for autism. Basically, chelation removes toxic heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the body. It's experimental and controversial, but has been successful in many cases. Success being, the person no longer shows signs of autism.
Doctors I've spoken to say, just because chelation has been successful in treating autism, doesn't mean mercury is the cause of it. I say to that...."WHUT EVVERRR".
Do I, as the mother of a child with autism care what successfully treats this disorder?! But, I do care that the jury is still out on this. I will be paying close attention in June when a 3 week hearing will be held in federal vaccine court in Washington, D.C. A 3-judge panel will hear the cases of several parents who claim their child's autism was caused by the mercury in their vaccines.
Sadly, if the court rules in favor of the parents, will we ever be able to trust our government? Pharmaceutical companies? Doctors?
And will that "Pandora's Box" enter into the minds of the judges? A lot of question marks -- and the biggest question mark will remain behind the phrase of my special report Mercury Myth? --- until it's proven not to be.
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There are only a few favorite things about waking up at "0 Dark-30" every weekday morning. One is of course...being able to come home early in the day and spend time with my daughters. Another is -- and I'm finding this especially enjoyable this time of year -- not having to sit in rush hour or mall traffic.  I counted 3 cars on the Camp Hill Bypass this morning at 2:30 on my way to work. 15 hours later and it's a mad house -- if not a parking lot!
No dealing with 2 cars stopped in the middle of 7th Street to - what appeared to be --the drivers exchanging gifts. And there was plenty of room on the shoulder - -but with no regard for the other drivers -- they forced us to wait until the other lane is free and swerve around them to continue on our journey. And then there are the two drivers on Jonestown Road loudly exchanging a few harsh words with each other -- with me and my two young children in the van in the lane between them. I had to explain to my daughters that "the nice man was explaining to the other man how to properly eat a banana, honey", with my finger poised above the 9-1-1 button on my cell phone ready to alert police to a case of road rage that was about to develop --- and oh yeah, that two other drivers were also arguing with each other.
When the dog bites, when the bee stings -- I just remember that when my alarm goes off at 2am -- most of you have visions of sugar plums still dancing in your heads -- but I have the morning drive mostly to myself.
Merry Christmas and Happy Travels!
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It's great -- to be -- a Florida Gator --
Wow, has my diploma increased in value this year. We're defending champs in basketball (although we just loss to rivals the Seminoles) -- but that loss was eased by the football team being chosen to go to the BCS Championship game! I am sooo lovin' those UCLA Bruins.
Now, many of my co-workers may not know that I am a graduate of the University of Florida -- although I think I mention it in my bio on the web. You certainly can't tell by looking at my desk - there's no orange and blue to be found. And that's because it's been 2 decades since I roamed the corridors of Hume Hall (the dorm I lived in which just happened to be located right down the street from Fraternity Row). 20 years since I strolled by Hume Lake and the very large (6 foot) gator that sun bathed within feet of students walking to class -- no fence or barrier of any sort. I guess it was believed that a gator wouldn't eat a fellow "gator".
Yes, I've contributed to the alumni association a few times since I graduated and my younger brother and sister also followed in my footsteps and have degrees from U-F, as well.
But, the days of wearing orange and blue are Way over -- until now. That's right -- I'm back on the bandwagon folks. Just like I jumped on Ben Rothlisberger's "Rookie Bandwagon" and how I'm still on the Marques Colston Bandwagon. But in this case, I'm really a gator -- not just a "gator fan" and for the next 27 days -- I can sing our "fight song" and do the "gator chomp" to the theme of jaws and wear orange and blue, because in 28 days I'll probably be saying "wait til next year" as beating a tremendous Ohio State team is a tall order -- but at least we're in the game!
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With all the focus on childhood obesity -- heck just plain ol' obesity for that matter, and the attack on trans fats -- you would think that someone would put on their "health agenda" the *cost* of eating healthy.
I was shopping at B-J's the other day getting breakfast food for our School Bus tour. We've been trying to get healthy foods since we're providing breakfast for school children. I learned that's not easy on a limited budget. I was searching for convenient, inexpensive yet nutritious foods for the 241 kids and faculty that were showing up at West Perry High School. The first week at Halifax Area High the crowd was smaller so I bought danishes, grapes and bananas for 100 people for $54.00. I was looking to do something similar, but the challenge of more than double the crowd was a tough one. If I were to have gotten the same foods -- it would have cost me $80.00 more.
So, here I am looking at glazed donuts for $3.99 for a box of 16 as opposed to a box of 10 mini-muffins for $6.99. Now I ask you, does it really take more money to make muffins as opposed to donuts?!  So, why in a country where our waistlines are not wasting away -- are the fattening foods less expensive than the healthy ones?  
Add to that the embarrassment of having to explain to a couple of fellow shoppers who recognized me and wondered why I had enough donuts to feed an army -- that I was getting them for "our school kids".
You'll be happy to know that I did buy a half dozen bunches of bananas and couple cases of grapes to diminish the artery cloggers.
Our next promotion will have to be "Jump Rope Journey".
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But, is it any easier being the yellow and blue that make up the green?
Let me explain.
I was at a writing workshop the other weekend, the same event that Letitia had her unfortunate car trouble. At this workshop were many of our colleagues in broadcast journalism. One was a gentleman named Ray - -a reporter who worked for another station. As part of an exercise, the person running the workshop interviewed Ray about his personal life. During the interview, Ray revealed that he was bi-racial -- white mother, black father. That caught my attention, because my kids are also bi-racial, black mother, white father. After the interview, I pulled Ray aside and asked him was there advice his mother gave him to deal with people who ridiculed him for being of "mixed race"? I was surprised by his answer. Ray said no, there wasn't anything really to say. He said he was aware of other people's problems with interacial relationships that resulted in bi-racial children - -and that's exactly what it was "their problem".
This was encouraging and frustrating at the same time. I'm encouraged that there's a good chance my kids will adopt the same attitude and see any prejudice as a "their problem" issue. But, as a mother, I feel very protective - as any parent does - of my daughters and want to try and make their path down life as care-free as possible.  We just welcomed the 300-millionth American to the population, chances are they are going to run into ignorance and intolerance -- how can I prepare them?
Then, I thought "how did my parents prepare me for the prejudice I experienced being black?" They didn't. They just taught me to abide by the Golden Rule. It's a simple one really -- but boy what a punch it packs. And it doesn't matter if you're black, white, yellow, blue or green -- it's a principal I'm proud to strive for and teach my kids to do the same.
In the end, they'll learn -- just like Kermit the Frog -- it might not be easy being green -- but boy it sure is beautiful.
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Did Survivor "Jump the Shark!"?
That was my first question when I learned the popular CBS reality show was separating tribes by race. I wondered, have they run out of ideas -- after all it's been on for a gazillion seasons now.
As for the "Jump the Shark!" term - it refers to shows who have overstayed their welcome - so to speak. They've run out of creative and new scenarios. The origin is from the Happy Days episode where Fonzie -- well - jumped a shark. It's a sure sign of the demise of your favorite show.
Anyway, my "fur got ruffled" a bit when I heard about this new development in Survivor. I wondered -- do we really need to supply fodder for the racists and their stereotypes -- you know -- black folks can't swim, white folks can't run, Asians are good with math....etc, etc. Especially locally when the KKK was just in the headlines for holding a rally in Gettysburg. 
At first, I wasn't going to watch -- why support a program that will just strengthen the divide -- I thought. But, then I started talking to other folks who said it might not be as bad as you think. Our CBS 21 Sales Manager, Scott Beaver said remember the uproar over the Amish program -- before people actually viewed it. Then it turned out to be pretty sensitive to the Amish. So, I figured I'd give it a shot. Sat down with the family -- which is for those who don't know me an interacial family -- my husband is one of those "whities who can't run".
And low and behold -- it was interesting -- and not offensive -- except when the "black folks" lost the challenge that involved what -- water!! And the Asians won - - and it involved what -- a puzzle! Damn it -- I wanted the stereotypes to be broken. But it was a lesson in cultural humanities. At the end of the day, when the lights are out -- and on any survivor island -- ALL the lights are out at night -- we are all just --- human. What a concept.
Jump the Shark or no -- Survivor -- you might just have me as a viewer for another season.
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I have 3 husbands...
Now before you go calling Ed Marsico on me...read on.
I am lucky to have found my soul mate and married him.  The other 2 are my "work husbands" Shane Schillaci and Steve Knight. "Work Husband" is a phrase I heard on the CBS sitcom "King of Queens". The character "Carrie", refers to one of her co-anchors who she spends at least 8 hours of the day with, her "work husband". And, I can relate. Shane and Steve are the two men I spend the most time with besides my husband, Jeremy. I cry with them when something happens to their sons or their pets, I laugh with them (fortunately more often than I cry) during happy times and I rely on their "male perspective" when I don't understand what's going on in my "real" husband's head. I'm so fortunate that my co-anchors and I are cut from the same cloth. The "3 S's" or "s-squared" as many of our viewers call us all have kids. The "boys" have boys and the "girl" has girls. We even take vacation at the same time - -not knowing that we all applied for the same week off. I adore their kids and their wives - and I know my family holds a special place in their hearts.
I'm sure Letitia says the same about Dono and Kelly the same about Paul, etc... heck these are the people we spend the most time with outside of our families...they are our "work families" and they are here to lend a shoulder, an ear, a foot in the behind if we get too big for our britches, etc.
So even if "men are from mars..." at least I know MY man is in good company.
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So I get this email recently from a viewer who said I pronounced Boas street wrong. It was a story about a suspect who police say robbed a home on Boas street in Harrisburg. This viewer says the street does not have 2 syllables -- it's pronounced like Bose -- the stereo system. But when I checked with a couple of people in the newsroom, they reassured me that it is pronounced with 2 syllables -- with the emphasis on the Bo!
That's my safety net for many of the peculiar pronunciations I have to say on the air -- I ask folks who are "native" to the area. I put quotations around "native" because unless you are Native American -- are you really considered a native? But, that's a discussion to have around Columbus Day.
Anyway, there are words that have "cut and dry" pronunciations in this area -- for example, Conodoguinet -- that was probably the first word I had to ask a producer about when I started working here. And, Schuylkill -- I can pronounce it -- can't spell it though.
But then, there's Lebanon, Lancaster, Carlisle -- (now I know that this rant isn't as effective in writing because you can't hear what I'm saying...but I know you get what I'm saying)..it's Lebanin -- not Leba-NON -- except if you're talking about the middle east --and it's LANcaster - -not LanCASTer -- and CarLISLE, not CARlisle.
And then there are these beauties -- Regina (ReGINuh) street, not ReGEEnuh and Progress (Prohgress), not PRAHgress. After all this, I start second guessing how to pronounce my own name -- it's Sherreye right?!
But, Pennsylvania is not alone, for those of you who haven't been out of the commonwealth. For example, when I worked in Tallahassee, Florida -- it's right near the Georgie/Florida state line and there's a city in Georgia called Cairo. You guessed it -- it's pronounced like the syrup -- not like the city in Egypt. So everyone has their strange names. Just keep that in mind the next time anyone of us mispronounces something on-air.
Altogether now -- You say tomato, I say tomahto, you say potato, I say potahto, tomato, tomahto, potato, potahto - let's call the whole thing off!
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4 tickets behind home plate worth $200 to a Major League Baseball game -- Free!
Parking pass worth $20 -- Free!
Taking a family of 5 to the Baltimore Orioles game for half the normal cost and the O's actually won -- PRICELESS!
But at the risk of sounding ungrateful -- when did Major League Baseball become so expensive?! I want to thank my husband's employer, Builder's 1st Choice for providing the free tickets and parking pass -- because had it not been for that -- we would have dropped $300.00 in one afternoon at the park! It was 95+ degrees and our seats were great -- but not in the shade. Do you know it costs $3.75 for a 16-ounce bottle of water?!?! Talk about price gouging. And, as I learned from our meteorologists, drinking alcohol is not a good way to cool off in the heat -- but if I'm shelling out 4-bucks -- it better be a brew! 
Unless we get free tickets again -- it will probably be our only O's game this season -- instead we're headed to City Island -- Go Senators!
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Nestled in the beautiful, peaceful mountains between State College and Altoona, St. Joseph Institute offered what the Christian family needed desparately the July 4th weekend -- to be a "typical" family. Now, when I say typical -- I don't mean 2 parents, 2.5 kids, dog and cat -- I mean a family that doesn't hear those words coming from another family's child "Mommy, why does that girl act like that...?". You see, my 4 year old daughter, Tatum was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder a year ago. The sometimes strange behavior associated with autism includes flapping arms and hands, a random screech and lack of speech. Which, understandably can be confusing to "typical" children -- heck to adults for that matter. And I don't blame a child for asking the question aloud -- that's one of the wonderful things about children - -their honesty. And many times when you explain to someone about the developmental disability, they become a compassionate person more accepting of difference.
But, for 3 days, my Tatum was "typical" -- because she was surrounded by other kids with autism and their families. It was a special retreat organized by the mother of an autistic son and it was a Godsend. For 3 days we didn't have to worry about disapproving glances and hurtful whispers when Tatum starts screeching and running around in circles. That's because everyone at this retreat was in the same situation. Kate (the organizer) thought of EVERYTHING! She got students from Penn State to volunteer their time to help each family with their special needs. My husband and I actually got to spend time in the sauna, pool and jacuzzi. I got a massage and my 15 year old, Megan and I actually got to play some tennis. It was heaven! The owners of the institute provided meals for the kids' special diets! For 3 days, we got to experience life as a "typical family" and it was phenomenal.
 
And for those of you whose kid wonders aloud "why does that child act like that...?" -- that's okay -- I encourage communication with everyone about autism and other disabilities so we can all be understanding and accepting of the "atypical".
For more information about this retreat, visit www.asdtogether.org.
Thanks for watching,
Sherry
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