Posts Tagged ‘autism parenting’
The World Needs Your Story
Here are 12 of the now nearly 100 members of Finding Cooper’s Voice Blog Squad. Daily they inspire, advocate, educate, and give hope to others going through the special needs life. Each of them has started either a blog and/or social media channels to help advocate. It has been amazing watching each of them grow and help others simply by sharing their story. Have a blog or social channels that’s focused on advocacy? Come join us! Here’s how: 1. Join Coop’s Troops: https://www.facebook.com/becomesupporter/772295979579532/ 2. Join Coop’s Troop Blog Squad Remember,…
Read MoreA Love Letter to My Son’s Teacher
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…
Read MoreTo the One I Can Always Count On
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…
Read MoreAcceptance Is Not About Resignation
The special needs “warrior mother” is a well-known figure. She’s the mother that kept pushing, read all the literature, challenged the doctors, demanded services, lobbied congress: in short, she changed the world and then went on Oprah to promote the book. Chances are she’s reading this right now… boy, am I in trouble! Yet how often do we hear of the warrior fathers? Crickets. When I first heard the experts murmur the A word, my defense mechanisms kicked into high gear and I immediately erected a wall of denial around…
Read MoreYou Don’t Have to Earn the Right to Inclusion
Will my daughter ever have a friend? Will other kids see how funny and smart she is even if she never speaks? Will they tease and ignore her? Will they be scared of her? When she gets older, will she join a team or a club? Will she meet a kindred spirit who sees her for all that she is and what she can do, instead of who she isn’t and the things that she can’t? Most parents worry about their kids belonging at some point in their parenting journey,…
Read MoreI am Your Advocate
My Beautiful boys, You are worth the fight. I am sorry life is hard for you. That I have to fight so hard for you. It is not the fight I am sorry for, because I would fight for you everyday of my life willingly and proudly. I am sorry because if I do not fight for you, you would have much less then you have now. If I do not speak up and be your voice, then you would not be heard. If I sit silent you will be…
Read MoreSuddenly, I Was a Special Needs Parent
Before my daughter was diagnosed the world of special needs was unknown to me. When I dreamed of motherhood being a special needs parent never crossed my mind. Suddenly I joined a club I never thought I would be a part of. Special needs terrified me. Just those two words sent chills down my spine. It was a world I knew nothing about. And then a picture will come across my memories newsfeed and it suddenly pulls me back to the days prior to being a special needs parent. I…
Read MoreYou Will Get Better Mama
I know, mama. I know that right now it’s really bad. I know that it feels like the world is crumbling around you and you don’t know how you are going to move on. One day, things won’t be so scary. Don’t get me wrong…it is always going to be hard. The hard will never really get better, but you will mama. You will get better. You will get better at the paperwork. One day, those forms won’t make you cry. You will get better at the meetings. One day,…
Read MoreComing May 2021
Baby girl Swenson joining her army of superhero brothers in May 2021! She’s going to be one loved little girl. I’m so excited with how these photos turned out! Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow…
Read MorePicture of Real
This morning I was rage cleaning my house and muttering under my breath about how we can’t have nice things. For anyone not familiar, rage cleaning is something that typically happens in my home on a weekend morning, after a day of chaos, where the dog becomes afraid of the vacuum and my boys hide from me. For context, I had just finished picking slime out of my living room rug. Which I felt extra frustrated by because we don’t allow slime here. But yet it appears. Next to the…
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