All I Can Handle: I’m No Mother Teresa: A Life Raising Three Daughters with Autism
By: Kim Stagliano / Narrated By: Nicole Vilencia
Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
The Stagtastrophe made pretty darned funny
“Stagtastrophe”: When it aaaaaall hits the fan for the Stagliano family. And in All I Can Handle: I’m No Mother Teresa, there are sooooo many Stagtastrophes it’s absolutely incredible. Take the main idea of the book: A Mom, a Dad, and three daughters with Autism. Throw in multiple moves around the country, a good deal of unemployment in a downward spiral of an economy, Christmases provided by charity groups, flooded basements that destroy EVERYthing, the owner of the house you’re renting being in bankruptcy, and you’ve got the gist. Kim Stagliano has been through it all.
First, let me start (as if I hadn’t already started!) with Nicole Vilencia’s narration. I’ve always thought she’s not one of my favorite narrators. She did Soldier Dogs and No Buddy Left Behind, and I thought at the time, especially with No Buddy, that her narration was FAR too jaunty considering the serious tone of that audiobook in particular. Well, it suits this audiobook just fine.
Because Kim has been through so much, but she views each and every pitfall and distressing event with an unutterably wry sense of humor. Sometimes, as a matter of fact, her sense of humor is downright twisted. She’s the person who coined the term “crapisode” for what happens when her daughters get really, really, REALLY into their bowel movements and the bowel movements of others.
Kim is an unapologetic advocate for finding a cure for Autism. As such, she’s pretty much despised by the Neuro Diversity Movement which calls for society to accept all who are different. But her girls were dealt far more Xs than check marks. They’re mostly nonverbal (except for unfortunately timed echolalia—echoing the words of the person or TV, movie, radio show and the like that they’ve heard. And when Mom is an avid listener of Howard Stern, well, ya just gotta keep the volume of THAT waaaaay down low). And they have routines you absolutely must NOT mess with. Toilet training? You wish! Learning to blow one’s nose? Oh, HA! As if!
And poor Dad keeps getting laid off. Plus, he scoots off for ill-timed games of golf. The In-Laws help a bit and the families are understanding as hell, but you’ve gotta admit it. They’ve got their hands full. But though Kim admits to instances of weeping with her head in her hands, she’s never given up, and never stopped adoring her three daughters. Indeed, they sound like really sweet girls… when they’re not flipping out.
In this book, you’ll hear a LOT about vaccines and her belief that they’re linked to Autism. You’ll hear a LOT about diet, gluten, dairy, and such. You’ll hear a LOT about teaching methodologies and how each one merits. You’ll get a LOT of straight and hard facts and information about Autism.
But mostly, you’ll find a devoted mother who will not give up on her kids. She writes articles, writes blog posts, runs websites; she does all of this while being there for her family, despite how many crapisodes she has to clean up after.
That she can make it funny? Don’t ask me how she did it, but I chuckled quite a bit.
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