Posts by Kate Swenson
Preorder Forever Boy Today
Four more days until the cover of my book, Forever Boy, is revealed! It is available on Amazon now though for preorder! This photo is one of the runner ups for the cover. It’s one of my favorite pictures of my boy and me. Someone asked me what the book is about and how it will differ from my blog. When you have a child diagnosed with something, anything, your world changes in an instant. It gets smaller for one. Suddenly, you feel like you are the only person on…
Read MoreThe Countdown is On!
The countdown is officially on for the reveal of my book cover! Forever Boy is available for presale but the cover is still a secret until Monday. 5 days to go! Cooper and I will reveal on Monday, live, right here! I’m going to share a few of the options that we considered for the cover. This is one of my most favorite pictures of Cooper. And the story behind the photo is fantastic. Cooper carried an 8×10 photo of our family everywhere he went. Even to our family photo…
Read MoreLet Them Show Us the Way
When you have a child diagnosed with autism, at some point you will be told all the things they may never do or achieve. Whether it’s from a friend of a friend, a medical professional, an educator, the internet, or an evaluation where you spend hours filling in little bubbles next to questions that cut you like a knife. The limits will be placed. I wish it didn’t happen. I wish instead we were told about how yes, it will be different, and yes there may be parts of development…
Read MoreKindness and Grace
Let me set the scene for you… My husband and two of our boys plus baby get on the elevator. We are loud and busy. Our two year old is trying to push all the buttons. I am using my hip to block him. Our ten year old is autistic and adores elevators. So he is happy flapping and dancing. Just as the door is about to close to bring us to the second floor of the hotel my husband yells out…‘I’ll hold the door for you!’ And a big,…
Read MoreTreasures
I am doing a 25 days of autism photo challenge with Autism adventures with Alyssa on my Instagram page, Findingcoopersvoice. Today is day 19 for me. ‘Post a picture of your child with their treasures, or any item they love.’ Can we just all take a moment and acknowledge how incredibly cool these photos are. Cooper adored putting his favorite treasures in lines. Now I’m not autistic so I can only speculate as to why he did it. To me it seemed like he wanted order in a crazy world.…
Read More4 Tips for a Successful Transition Back to School
Transitioning back to school can be scary for all kids. For kids with autism it can feel downright terrifying. Especially after just settling into summer. Here are 4 tips I use to prepare my autistic son for back to school and to make the transition as simple as possible. Visit the School: Drive to your child’s school. Park in the parking lot. Walk around outside. Visit the playground. Get your child used to seeing the building. We have been visiting Cooper’s school daily for nearly a week now to prepare…
Read MoreLet Their Voices Ring: Empowering Your Child to Communicate
Everyone deserves to be heard. Especially your child. Their thoughts call for respect. And to be able to communicate those thoughts is a fundamental human right. The beauty about communication is that it looks different for everyone. For some, it means verbally speaking; for others, making music. But for those with autism, “speaking” one’s mind takes a form perhaps more beautifully unique than any other. How, then, do we celebrate this in a way that empowers kids with autism to influentially express themselves? With this question in mind, I want…
Read MoreWorth the Wait
There are really precious moments in life. Like when your father-in-law comes to find you to say… ‘Cooper and I just walked around the campground. He held my hand the whole entire way. He’s never done that before.’ He just beamed as he said it. Ten years is a long time to wait as a Grandpa. But worth every minute. I’ve never met a more loved or treasured little boy. Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting…
Read MoreThe Beauty of a Brother
Laughter. You know the kind that comes deep from the belly? It’s the best. And when you hear it coming from someone else you immediately smile. Especially when it’s two of your children. Ages 10 and 2. Brothers. One would assume they don’t have a lot in common. Or a lot of time for each other. But they do. See they both really love The Good Dinosaur and Cars. And bull dozers and fire trucks. The older one loves acting out scenes from movies. He will zip around the house…
Read MoreWhat is Your Sentence?
Do you have a sentence that you say a million times a day? You say it so much it could be written on your tombstone. Here lies Kate. She is best known for ‘turn it down buddy’. Or with your last breath you say…’why are you naked?’ Because I do. As a mom to three boys I am forever asking why they don’t have pants on. And for the volume to be lowered. No one complies though. Not ever. What is yours? What sentence do you say every single day?…
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