Posts Tagged ‘Parenting’
When Parent Turns Into Caregiver
Being a parent is something I always dreamed of. Being a parent meant raising my kids to be great people, to teach them values like kindness and honesty, and hopefully send them into the world as adults who could make a life for themselves. When I was pregnant I imagined their milestones in front of us. Finishing primary and secondary school, hopefully onto college and graduation and lastly a career that they loved and that both challenged and fulfilled them. In the same breath I imagined myself and Brian as…
Read MoreWhen the Sickness Hits
Our whole family is sick. This is the first time that I can remember every family member being sick at the same exact time. Although some seem to have more energy, strength and overall will to survive than others. Some of us take sickness in stride. Some of us do not. See, it’s usually just me and the baby. The other three have these super human immune systems that make me want to secretly cough on my husband’s pillow at night but I don’t because…the man flu. No one wins.…
Read MoreThe World’s Most Okayest Mom
I’ve been reading a lot lately about so called bad moms. Apparently they walk amongst us dressed in leggings and oversized sweatshirts, hair up in a messy pony, exhausted, cooking dinner with way too many helpers, and most likely overly caffeinated. They blend in. Yes, I’m as shocked as you are. I had no idea. Learning this got me thinking about my so called mothering skills. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the mother I imagined I’d be before having kids. But in my defense, I didn’t…
Read MoreBeing Social Isn’t As Easy As We Make It Look
I take notice of every body of water now. Every stream, every river, every pond, and every lake. I’ll count the 5 gallon buckets that sit unattended in your yard, filled with rain water. I know exactly where your dogs water bowl is. I’ll shut your bathroom doors, and make sure you didn’t forget to drain your bath water. I see every candle. I panic when we come over and they are lit. I’ll feel badly when I ask you to blow them out, and set them up. I pray…
Read MoreStop Asking Women When They Are Having Another Baby
I have two amazing sons. My heart feels complete. No, I don’t want to try for a girl. No, I won’t change my mind in a few years. Some questions sit a little differently after you have a child on the spectrum. This one, really raises my blood pressure. I have always wanted 2 children, I thought I would have 1 boy and 1 girl and life would be complete. I had 2 boys, almost SIX years apart. My 2nd has Autism. I knew from the time he was a…
Read MoreWhat Are You Thinking Allowing Him To Wear A Dress
We sat on the couch in his living room. I hadn’t seen him in ages, so I was trying to catch him up on our life. I showed him photo after photo of our family. Sawyer hitting a baseball off a tee in the backyard. Cooper splashing in a pool. Sawyer holding his fishing pole. Jamie and I drinking beers at a baseball game. Sawyer and his cousin playing dress up. He was smiling and laughing but stopped suddenly. It’s been a while, years and years since this happened,…
Read MoreA Crystal Ball
Most parents would enjoy looking through a crystal ball to see what their child’s future looks like. What will your child’s life look like in 10 years? 15? Their wedding? The day your first grandchild is born? And finally how your children are doing when you are no longer around. You don’t want to wish the days away, but getting a peak would be so fun! Maybe 10 years from now they will be turning 18. Will they be heading off to college? trade school? getting a full time job?…
Read MoreI Will Never Be the Same
Yesterday, I couldn’t get out of bed. I barely willed myself to do the dishes. I can’t explain why. Nothing had really “happened.” There wasn’t some explosive meltdown or feelings of inadequacy. I just got scared. So scared. I remember when I was a child and I would wake up from a bad dream and find myself in between my parents, completely safe and free or fear. Now I find myself in my son’s bed, my body curled next to his, never wanting to let go, knowing every morning I…
Read More14 Things that are Ridiculously Hard as a Mother
14 things that I find to be ridiculously, over the top hard, as a mother: Putting eye drops in a child’s eye who refuses to keep their eye open. It is not possible. Nope. By the end of the attempt everyone has pink eye. Wiping a child’s nose and mouth. Or, as I call it, absolute torture. Keeping a hat on a toddler. Enough said. Putting shoes on a child who doesn’t want shoes on. ‘What is happening? Why are you curling your dang toes?’ Getting a child to eat…
Read MoreOne of Those Mornings
It’s been one of those mornings. You know the one. Dog peed on the carpet, forgot to do reading homework last night, arguing over breakfast and wondering why it seems like daylight savings is still totally messing with your family. But it’s only one hour! It makes no sense. So, here’s to the parent who got up one too many times last night. The dad who used a paper towel as a coffee filter because someone forgot to buy them. The dad who scrubbed dog poop and pee out of…
Read More