Great story, Scot. It has to be one of the hardest things for parents to do. With my first 3, I blew it although I had no choice. The "Fun dad" lived with his mother and took them when it suited him or when his buddy had his daughters too or when his mom could keep them while he went out. I was glad they got to see him at all and grandma was a bonus. He plied them with handouts of money, too.

You and Lisa sound like superb parents. You communicate without words. That denotes a rare closeness! Even if you don't do what each other wants it's still been "discussed". It seems you deal very well with your son's autism.