Posts Tagged ‘christmas’
My Son, This Year for Christmas…
Dear Son, This year for Christmas I know you won’t ask me for anything or understand why a burly man in a red suit is so important. You won’t understand why there are so many parties and great food, or why this little baby that sits in a manger is being spoken about. This evening, I won’t be able to explain to you that Santa will be here at night and that we should leave cookies out for him, because why would we leave cookies out for no good reason…
Read MoreMy Daughter’s 18th Christmas
This is Casadee’s 18th Christmas. I still make her a calendar every year so she can count down the days and quite honestly to reduce the number of times she asks me “Christmas tomorrow?” This year her number gift request is a desktop computer. She is typical in that regard, like most teens the price of the present goes up. This year I can use her newly awarded SSI money to purchase it. She doesn’t read or write but she has been using computers at school for as long as…
Read MoreHappiness is what Matters
As we age, our interests change. They evolve. They grow with us. But what if they don’t? What if they stay the same year after year? In the real world, they call it age appropriate. It means teenagers shouldn’t be watching Barney or adults shouldn’t be believing in Santa. Someone once told me to turn off the cartoons and put on the National Geographic channel. I still laugh about that. They thought parents like me should be forcing interests. My son is 9. He’s amazing. And he loves Peppa, Barney,…
Read MoreLook for the Magic
So often the most impactful parts of life don’t make sense. I’ve learned that over and over again. Sometimes gracefully. Sometimes not. But see I have this teacher. This little human. He’s taught me more than I can even put into words. He likes colors and squares and rectangles and lines. He likes trains and Peppa and pictures of his brothers and penguins and letters. And the number 35. It used to be 33. And The Price is Right. And he doesn’t care what anyone thinks about it. Because those…
Read More‘TIS THE SEASON
As I reflect just on the last year alone, the holiday season for us has been so drastically different. Last year at Thanksgiving Caleb was almost 3.5 and we were hyper aware of the holiday festivities being newly diagnosed. We’d researched how to prepare him and considered all of the recommendations. We opted out of going to see family for both Thanksgiving and rather had family over, hoping Caleb would be better off in his own home if we had to be around people we didn’t see too much throughout…
Read MoreFeeling Blue at Christmas
I started decorating in November and finished shopping the first week of December. I was so excited for this year because my little dude finally understands Christmas. For the first time in almost 6 years, he told Santa what he wanted. It was all going so well and I was so hopeful. I even was able to snap a couple family photos with my phone for our Christmas card. It meant the world to me to just have one…even if it wasn’t perfect. I just wanted one of us together. …
Read MoreA Disorderly Night Before Christmas
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stimming, still this mom pouts;Her stockings were flung to the floor without care,In hopes this year’s Christmas Day stress she can bear; The child was nestled all snug in mom’s bed (sigh),While visions of numerous wine glasses danced in her head;She wonders who invented toy packaging and thinks he needs a slap,Here comes the cursing, and her cleanest word is “Crap!” As the sound of her tearing through plastic makes a huge clatter,She prays no child wakes…
Read MoreWe’ve Never Visited Santa
We’ve never visited Santa. He’s never asked me for the coolest toy. We’ve never baked cookies together. He’s never made a Christmas list. Or sang in a Christmas pageant. No snow mans or Elf on the Shelf. For so many years, Christmas was just another day. He didn’t acknowledge the tree or decorations. He didn’t open presents. Or wake up early to see what Santa brought. I used to get sad. Holidays were hard. I had a little boy who was oblivious. And not only was he oblivious, holidays were really…
Read MoreTips for Engaging with my Child during the Holidays
Prior to my son’s diagnosis I knew nothing about autism. Zero. So, I understand completely that most people have no idea how to approach or connect with an autistic child. If autism wasn’t thrown in front of me like a speeding bus, I would be completely oblivious. But it was, and I now have a bus load of experiences that have left me yearning for a world where people take more time to get to know the children in their lives who have disabilities. Most people are friendly. They say…
Read MoreSanta did not Bring my Nonverbal Son’s Voice
Every time I go through a “grieving phase” of autism I always think it will be my last, or at least I always hope it is. However, emotions are fluid, and thus like waves in the ocean it never dies. I find that holidays are always a stressor for the grieving process. It truly is hard to let go of what you thought your life would have been like prior to the diagnosis of autism. I think it’s hard for people who aren’t going through this to understand that. It’s…
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