I’m really bad at asking for help. And I don’t mean that in a job interview sorta way where you say your biggest weakness is ‘doing too much’ because you secretly want to make yourself look good. Nope, this isn’t that. I’m really bad at asking for help. It’s a character flaw really. And it isn’t necessarily a good thing. It’s more of a sinking in a boat and someone throws you a life raft and you smile and say, ‘thank you, but I got this.’ When clearly, you don’t.…
My sweet husband, You and I have never been big Valentine’s people. Or gift givers really. Ever since we had kids we always say we will take a day together and go shopping and buy something for each other but it never happens. There’s never time. And well, this Valentine’s Day feels even less lovey than the others. For starters it feels like we have spent every minute together since last Valentine’s Day. That’s a lot of time together. It’s also -17 degrees outside right now which is making us…
Shia is our beautiful autistic, primarily non verbal, 10 year old son, who also has sensory processing disorder. I have watched him in his world over the years. I have felt his world deeply and I have seen the impact his world has on his Daddy. Enjoy a peek into his world as you read below… Come into my world and I will help you let go of the things that cause you to lose your peace…just ask my Daddy. Your world is too chaotic for me. Too much noise.…
To my son’s teacher, From the time I found out that Nathan had autism I started thinking about school and I always got anxiety. Once he entered his second year of preschool my anxiety started going through the roof. I was so worried about him going to Kindergarten. I would cry most nights thinking about it. He was safe in preschool. He had routine. He loved his teacher. I would wonder who his new teacher was going to be. I would pray every single night that God would protect him…
Hi. My name is Carrie. We’ve never met, but I read the news report about what happened to you at school, when your paraprofessional used a stapler to attach a note to your hair. She said she wanted to send a reminder home to bring in a water bottle the next day. Right away, I want to tell you I am very, very sorry. Reading your story made my heart squeeze tight. I felt sick inside, to be honest. I pictured you standing in your classroom, waiting for a drink…
Dear Boardman Board of Education, Which kid would have mattered to you? Which kid in your eyes would have made the staple to their head be classified as abuse? My fear is the incident in Boardman, Ohio is setting an example that abuse is only abuse when it happens to a certain kid. So, as a sibling to a brother with a disability, a parent of two boys, and a former special education teacher – I ask, which kid needs to have a note stapled to their head for it…
The one person who has been part of my life for the past 12 years is my husband. The story goes like this…he was a small-town boy and I was a small-town girl. We met at a small-town church. We knew each other way before we started officially dating. He always had an eye for me, but I wasn’t quite so sure that I was interested at the time. Although, I quickly found out after I gave him a chance that he was the kindest person. He would do anything…
Dear Mom and Dad, It’s nearly February when families will take down the snowmen scenes and begin decorating their home with red and pink hearts to symbolize the month of love. This year as we enter into the month, I realize, no symbol expresses or explains the love you have shown and continue to show me. About a year and a half ago, you gave up your dream, the one you worked your entire adulthood for, to help in mine. My dream of being a mom. It hasn’t gone quite…
To truly know what a special needs life is, you have to have a deep understanding of it. You have to see it in every way and every aspect. It has to be your life. As the younger sister of Nick Boarman, 36 year-old Amanda Owen has known special needs life her entire life. At Nick’s six month check-up the doctor told their mother, Sharon Boarman, that Nick had a rare chromosomal disability. The Syndrome was so rare that there were only ten other cases at that time and those…
What is love, “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.” Love comes in many forms. As a child, we think of the soft, tender love that sits amongst family. As an adolescent, we think of our rich friendships that are filled with late-night talks. As adults, we think of our romantic relationships that form foundations of growth, beauty, and struggle. The choice to love not found in common ties of biology is where I often land when thinking about love. I found pieces of myself in each person who…
