This is my son Michael, the Big Guy. He is my Superman. He has all of the qualifications; he is big, he is strong, and he is emotionally sensitive. He is very protective, he is the only one I know who can pick me up (an essential skill) he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders (it's an attitude) and there is no end to his troubles. This is a very important trait if you want to have a successful, long running TV show. But mostly, he is my Superman because, to me, he looks like Tom Welling. In fact, I can't watch Smallville without a tear coming to my eye--it's like seeing my very own son up there on the big screen. Such a handsome fella! Okay, so, the Big Guy needs to lose a few pounds and his hair isn't quite as dark and crisply curling as Tom's and his eyes aren't as piercing, but they could be with hair dye and contacts. Not sure what to do about the extra pounds, though. It's so cute when I "accidentally" call him Tom. The Big Guy gets a real kick out of that.

See the photographs below to see what the heck I'm talking about. I mean, really! They could be brothers! Or, father and son (just kidding, honey!)

Here we have Michael waiting for a ride at

The resemblance is simply uncanny--those straight across eyebrows, those full lips, the darkly curling hair--their propensity for blue shirts . . . (I just couldn't figure out how to get rid of that there girl in that there photo).

This photo of Tom is know as "Dark Tom". True, it is a little dark, and note, he is not wearing a blue shirt, symbol of Superman goodness everywhere. The picture below of Michael is also a little dark. It is known as "Dark Michael". It is due to the fact that I don't know how to take pictures of subjects in shadow. One day . ..

Please note: These pictures of Michael are jewels compared to most of the photos we get of the Big Guy. Michael is not like ordinary human beings. He is a little different, a little off-kilter, he marches to the tune of a different drummer. He has his physical disabilities. He has his emotional disabilities. He has his mental disabilities. But, more to the point, he has his picture-posing disablities. This guy has so much anxiety, he just can't pose for a picture. Uh-uh, it's just not gonna happen. When we try, we get something a little like this . . .

And, honestly, that's pretty darn good compared to the worst of the lot. We were at an amusement park on this particular day and he was having a good time popping wheelies in his wheel chair. Don't get me wrong, the guy can walk! Just not very far. Or for very long. He's strong like Superman but, uh, well, not so strong when it comes to some things. Anyway, he was having so much fun that he forgot to be nervous about the camera, but it took some time.

Here he is trying to pretend that the camera isn't aimed at him. You can just see those wheels spinning in his head; "maybe if I don't look at it, it won't look at me". But, he has a semi-real smile on his face which is something we don't often get to see and almost never get to photograph. You gotta be quick with this guy. And I'm not. Neither is my camera.

He's starting to get used to the idea here. The smile is still a bit too cheesy, though.

Okay, here he is, the real Michael with a real gol-gosh-darn-garsh-folks smile! Phew!

He isn't only my hero, he is his brother's hero. And his sister's. And his dad's. Okay, he can be a real pain sometimes, but aren't all children like that once in a while? I mean, as long as the guy has his own toilet, things go fairly well. That is to say, if we stay close to home, and he has the right kind of ice cream to eat his medicine in, and his clothes are comfy enough, and if he isn't bored and if he has something to look forward to and if he gets enough sleep and he has food available at all times and in all places, then things go fairly well . . .