Hello From Matthew, Angela & Dodger

Hi everyone, for this and future blogs I’m going to be using pseudonyms for my wife, my daughter and  myself. I will be Matthew, my Wife as Angela and our daughter will be Dodger. This is because we think  keeping Dodgers identity from the internet is what we should be doing as her parent’s. Instead of plastering  her name, pictures and personal details, my wife and I stand by the fact that she hasn’t/can’t give her  permission and we’re here to look after her and her best interests, and we just don’t think it’s the right thing  to do. The reason why my daughter is called Dodger in these blogs etc., is because when my wife got  pregnant we named the bump Jamie Dodger. 

Dodger is severely autistic non-verbal which brings so many  disadvantages to her life and we are here as her Gatekeepers to make sure not only that she’s having the best life she can despite her condition, but also protect her from the outside world which can take advantage of  her. When we got the diagnosis of Autism for Dodger, which did take the doctor’s a long time because she  was a girl, and the ratio of boys compared to girls being diagnosed with ASD is around 4:1. It was a shock, it  was heartbreaking but it was also a relief. We had a label to put on something that was effecting our little girl. 

This gave us the opportunity to look up online and other places about how this was going to affect her not  just at that present time but in the future. This website Added Attitude Clothing has come about because as  Dodger gets older my wife and I have to adapt daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. For the past 12 years or so I’ve  been a window cleaner. I chose this industry to go into because it gave me the flexibility to work around  helping more at home. Having a typical 9-5, working for someone else would not allow me to have that .  Now I’m 50, the body isn’t like what it used to be, and I’ve got to try and diversify to earn an income. I chose  making items like t-shirts hoodies mugs etc. because it can make me more available to my daughter’s ever  changing life. Being able to make designs, have my thoughts and hopefully make people laugh opens another door. 

Every part of my wife’s and I life is about being around for Dodger, fighting for Dodger whenever  needed. Making sure that she is looked after and is given the opportunity to enjoy life as much as she can.  Autism isn’t just part off Dodgers life, it’s a huge part of my wife and I lives. I know I have picked a saturated market to try and earn a living from, I’m thankfully still working as a window cleaner at the moment but I do hope that by sharing part of our lives with you, it will explain why I am trying to change my job and that this  is not just a side hustle. I want to make a living from selling apparel etc. to help my daughter’s life. What  affects her, affects us and that’s what it’s about, this new venture is to help us navigate living with Autism.