Guest Post
Including the ‘Different’ Kids
Below is a snippet of a recent conversation with Bubba Man on the way home from picking him up from a class trip to an amusement park: “Hey, Buddy. Did you have fun today?” “Yep.” “What rides did you go on?” (he literally told me all 11 rides, in order, and spared no detail). “That’s awesome! Who did you ride with?” “Oh, I rode by myself.” “Really? Well, who did you eat lunch with?” “I ate alone.” “Hmm. Well, who did you sit with on the bus?” “I sat alone.”…
Read MoreMy Son is Not Less
The hardest parts of autism, of special needs, of disability, of parenting a child with significant and complex needs…Well, they aren’t the parts you would think. The practical parts of parenting a child like ours, the trials and tribulations, well, you could write a book. He’s a wheelchair user. He requires all of his cares to be done by an adult, and when we go for dinner you best be sure to move all of the crockery out of arms reach, unless you fancy being speared by a fork or…
Read MoreShe is Perfect
Our little girl sat and looked at our dog whilst laughing and moved in a way I had never seen her move before. That was the moment I knew. We had suspected from the age of two that our little girl could be on the spectrum but she was still young and needed more time. I hadn’t felt sadness about it until that moment. Tears rolled down my cheeks. They were tears of sadness because I knew things would be more difficult for her and it wasn’t her fault. Was…
Read MoreTelling My Daughter her Brother has Autism
My daughter was six when my son was born. We spoke about what it would be like when the baby was born We talked about how things might change for a short time and that it doesn’t change how much I love her and that my time may be a little bit unfairly split for a while as babies need a lot of attention. He came along and she was in love with him. From the moment she got in the car from school she always asked how he’d been…
Read MoreTo the Woman who Brought Life Back to Me
I am honoring my son’s teacher at New Connections Autism Academy, Mrs. Lisa Meeter. I want to say that this woman and this school brought life back to my child and me. After three years of fighting the public school my son went to…numerous send homes, expulsions, calls, meetings, times I almost lost my job because I had to leave my classroom to go pick up my child, this woman and the school he now attends has brought hope and happiness to our little family. She has open communication with…
Read MoreI See You Momma
I see you, momma, giving your all. Staying up into the wee hours, researching symptoms and indicators, both hoping and dreading a possible diagnosis. I see you, all alone, as your mommy gut screams something is wrong, to the disbelief of your husband and family…listing all the “absences” and “lack” of symptoms, hoping the silent missing parts will prove to others there is, indeed, a problem. I see the world you’re living in. Where bell curves taunt and intimidate and are rendered useless for you. Where, diagnosis or no diagnosis,…
Read MoreI am Thankful for My Sister
I am so thankful for my sister and godmother. She is amazing hands down! She has been with me from the very beginning of my son’s autism diagnosis when he was four. From my grieving, unanswered questions, mixed emotions and through tears I faced. Through every meltdown, challenges and struggle he faced and still faces, she has loved up on him and helped me and my husband face this head on. She reminds us we’re not alone. My son Jason even inspired her to learn more about autism in a…
Read MoreI’m Thankful for the Kindness of a Stranger
Have you ever felt a tug on your heart. An idea that was placed in your head. Often it seems as though it has come out of nowhere but it gnaws at you. It often seems so crazy. Your try to ignore it. You continue to pray for guidance, friendship, and help and wonder why you aren’t getting any answers? I am sure that God it thinking that I am so dense that 2X4 over the head wouldn’t even get my attention at this point. So, God took it up…
Read MoreMommy Guilt
Mommy guilt is real. It’s powerful and it can crumble the strongest of women. It is painful, shaming, blaming, isolating, gut wrenching and all together time consuming. If you let it, IT WILL DESTROY YOU. How do I know this? Because it almost happened to me. The guilt I felt had such a strong hold that I was numb. For the first time in my life I felt nothing, I heard nothing, saw nothing and was NOT okay. My family was afraid to leave me alone and in all honest,…
Read MoreThank You to the ‘Original’ Member of our Tribe
We want to honor our son’s speech therapist Jacqui. She started as a person that came to our home on Saturday’s to give Carter extra help with speech, but she has become a part of our family and our Autism journey. She is the “original” member of our tribe. Our family lives in the Tampa Bay area, as well as almost our entire extended family. We have a huge support network and Carter’s tribe is the most amazing group of people that I have ever gotten to have the pleasure…
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