Posts Tagged ‘special needs family’
I Blamed Myself For My Son’s Autism
When I found out I was going to be a father, I was beyond excited. My wife and I had been trying to conceive for years before she got pregnant. So when she told me I was going to be a father, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! I made sure to call my wife everyday at work to make sure she ate lunch… I’m sure I annoyed the heck out of her. When we found out that we were having a boy, we started to plan everything.…
Read MoreA Gift I Will Never Take For Granted
I will never get over the gift of communication. Something so many take for granted. My newly two year old just told me he had an owie on his foot. He sat down. Took his sock off. And pointed to his injury. To so many outside the world of autism, this may sound so simple. His older brother is 9, nearly 10, and we work nonstop on communication of pain. For years, my sweet boy had ear infections that we didn’t know about. We didn’t know if his shoe was…
Read MoreTo My Special Son as You Approach Adulthood
I cannot believe how quickly the last seventeen years has flown by. When I glance over at you, intently focused on the television screen with unshaven stubble presently on your face, I can vividly picture my adorable, chubby cheeked toddler. I remember every minute of each therapy session you tolerated multiple days a week like it was yesterday – always working extremely hard to overcome significant motor delays, never giving up on hitting those many milestones, at your own pace. Your ability to invent creative solutions for…
Read MoreWinter
Hi. My name is Carrie. I am a wife, a yogi, a writer, a book-reader, and a mother of five. I am also Special Needs Mama with a Special Needs Kiddo. His name is Jack. He is sixteen years old. When you have a Special Needs Kiddo, the weekend can feel very, very long. I know, I’m not supposed to admit this. I’m supposed to tell you all the fun things I create for my son and I to do together—interesting outings with built-in lessons, long hikes through the autumn…
Read MoreBoth of My Children Are Normal
“Is your daughter normal?” the nurse asked. “So far she’s developing typically,” I replied, The conversation moved on but I couldn’t shake the word “normal.” The word swirled around my head and gave me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Normal. Compared to what? I looked down at Everett, my autistic two year old, watching Daniel Tiger on his kindle , wondering if he’d heard and then wondering if he understood. If he did, how did it make him feel? As a physician assistant, and medically speaking,…
Read MoreAdaptive Costumes are Changing Halloween for the Special Needs Community
“And what does Whitman want to be this year for Halloween?!” I usually roll my eyes as the words hang in the air. In his almost seven years of life my son Whitman has never really cared for Halloween. It isn’t from a lack of trying on our part. Every year we get numerous costumes. We attempt. We battle. What should be this amazingly fun time in your childhood is just stress and tears, more from me than anyone. I have tried to throw expectation out the window but I’m…
Read MoreThe Hard Doesn’t Own Me
We’re not supposed to complain. Special needs families, that is. The world calls you an ableist when you lament an ability or lack thereof. I’ve never felt this child of mine was lacking. He’s nothing short of amazing. How could someone so funny and clever and filled with light be anything besides perfection? But, boy, is he hard. Nearly seven years of eternal toddlerhood and a few words repeat themselves on the many pages of his complicated history. Developmental delay, genetic disorder, autism, anxiety, adhd. These are the tricky pieces…
Read MoreRemember, Your Sister Talks to Angels
Recently my daughter Sage who holds her feelings in like they never existed, who would rather use her fists to deal with hurt, broke. Her sky blue eyes welled up and her upper lip quivered as a stream of salty tears spilled down her cheeks. My dearest Sage, You have a job more important than other kids your age. Not only do you have to protect your littlest sister from dangerous situations, you must also protect her from hate and evil. Sage, there will always be mean people who spew hate. Yes…
Read MoreMaybe I’m Doing This Right
Today was a bear of a day. A no good, really bad day as the kids say. But there were highs too. My baby said ‘love you mama’ when I left his room tonight. He’s never said that before. I thought my heart was going to burst. I even made him say it again. It was just so perfect. And then earlier today, while driving, my middle son asked me how babies are made. I froze. And because he’s so smart he said, ‘don’t worry mom, I already know. You…
Read MoreMagic Forever
Last night we brought our three boys to a green house to pick out pumpkins. Our middle son was very excited. He loves all things holidays. He also loves overdoing things, much like his mama. 17 pumpkins seems totally reasonable to us. And the baby, he was in heaven toddling along with his brothers. Our older son Cooper, well, he was along for the ride. Pumpkins aren’t really his jam. That is until he realized that the green house had Christmas trees. So many Christmas trees. He immediately gasped and…
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