Posts by Kate Swenson
A Few Things I Have Learned About Motherhood
As I near my due date with my fourth baby, and slowly lose my mind daily with the three I already have, I find myself thinking a lot about mothering. And all that goes into it. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned along the way: 1. Having children is like having the worst roommates sometimes. They move your stuff, eat your food, and leave dishes all over the house. Try to remember though that messes clean up. 2. Your children can be just like you, or polar…
Read MoreThe Waiting Game
Caption this photo! We stayed in a cabin for a few days and the boys were absolutely fascinated and intrigued by this contraption. Also, the real reason I’m sharing this photo is to brag on this kid. Waiting is one of the most fundamentally important skills we learn as we age. Waiting is a skill that has never come naturally to Coops. Sitting. Standing still. All so important. For us, from the day Cooper could walk, he was running. He ran into streets. He ran out doors. He ran towards…
Read MoreTake a Chance on Me
There’s a viral article out that highlights a young man (Ryan Lowry) in Virginia on the autism spectrum who has penned his own letter to a future employer asking for an opportunity to work. He highlights the wonderful IT skills he has to offer any company. He also points out where he needs mentoring. But if given the opportunity, he knows he can contribute to any company willing to work with him. “I promise that if you hire me and teach me, you’ll be glad that you did. I will…
Read MoreSpring Break in Minnesota
People who follow me make a lot of assumptions about our family and these boys. It’s interesting, funny, even upsetting to read them. People assume that Cooper, and ultimately autism, is a hardship. People assume the younger two are neglected because they see Cooper get attention in a 4 minute video. I could go on and on. We are on a spring break two night vacation. Because flying isn’t an option for us we went to northern Minnesota. The day before we left it was 65 degrees. The day we…
Read MoreInspirational Boston Marathon Dad Dick Hoyt Dies at 80
I’ve heard countless stories from parents of adult disabled children about the prognosis and future predictions they were given. And not a lot of them were good. Parents were told to institutionalize their babies. Even, ‘go home, try again.’ And one, ‘forget about this one, have another.’ It was no different for Dick Hoyt and his wife Judy in 1962 when their son Rick was born. Rick was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, as a result of oxygen deprivation to Rick’s brain at the time of his…
Read MoreAutism Representation – Daniel Tiger to Introduce New Character
I can vividly remember taking my autistic son, Johnny to the park when he was four years old. As I pushed the double stroller with him and his baby sister through the park entrance my heart sank as our usually pretty empty park was full of children and parents. Johnny was excited, and there was no turning back. I had to let him play for at least a little while. As he darted off to play I quickly strapped the baby to me and followed him like a shadow. Sometimes…
Read MoreCoop’s Troops: Friends You Haven’t Met Yet
I’m a firm believer in finding your tribe. For me that is the autism parenting community. In the middle of pandemic this has been an extra challenge. But I never imagined that I’d find my tribe all across the country. I wasn’t in a great place last year when Covid happened. So many things were happening and then all of a sudden the world stopped. During that time I enjoyed the extra hands of help that my husband brought. But being unable to go anywhere made life hard. Luckily, while…
Read MoreA Glimpse of Autism in the Year of Covid
I’ve been replaying the past year in my head over and over a lot lately. A whole year consumed by covid. What a whirlwind. What a ride. This crazy virus consuming a large portion of our time and energy. It’s been fast and it’s been slow. There has been so much confusion intermingled with delicate moments of pure clarity. It’s been a year of more anger and separation in our world, yet one of so much love and community. There’s been stress. Anxiety. And so much change. Pivoting on a…
Read MoreIt’s Not That I’m Not Happy For You
I need to be real for a minute. It’s not that I don’t want to be around you. It’s not that I don’t like your kids. It’s not that I don’t love watching your kids grow up from afar. It’s not that I’m not happy for you. It’s just too hard. It’s too hard to see your children developing at a normal rate. There’s no speech and language delay. There is no vocal stimming. There are no show stopping meltdowns. You have kids who have a typical path to follow.…
Read MoreAutism is Not Always to Blame
From as far back as I can remember, Skyler has always expressed himself by using his hands. The most common of his ‘gestures’ is open hand smacking of walls, cupboards, doors, counters, people, etc. Basically, if he could reach it, he would hit it. Hair pulling was his second favorite method of contact. Oddly enough, it often wasn’t done to gain the attention of the person on the receiving end of his torture, but simply because he liked the texture of the strands of hair between his fingers. What began…
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