Posts Tagged ‘special needs family’
Coming Up For Air
The day that we finally received a diagnosis for my son was the day that the flood gates opened. After eighteen months of second guessing myself, of my pediatrician telling me that I was just being an overprotective new mother, I finally had the confirmation that I needed. Not that I desired. Not that I wanted. I physically needed it. I finally had the affirmation that there was something genuinely out of the ordinary going on with my child. I’m not sure if you, whoever you are, have experienced this type of…
Read MoreHunger
Hello. My name is Carrie. I am married to a man named Joe and we have four boys and one daughter and our second son, Jack, has autism. He is sixteen. Today I’d like to talk about something that can make people uncomfortable. Food. Listen, I love food. Our family loves food. You might say food is our love language. I don’t necessarily love to cook aforementioned food, but listen, everything has its limitations. My son Jack loves to eat. He organizes his day around breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and…
Read MoreThe Secret Club of Siblings
Today is an exciting day. Today, I made a friend. As a young adult in a new city, this is a pretty huge achievement. We met at our apartment complex’s pool after I saw she was reading a book I have been meaning to read and the conversation moved from there. We talked about the places we want to visit when COVID is over, griped about our landlord, joked about how the Midwest is like your annoying sibling — if you’re from there, you’re allowed to make fun of it.…
Read MoreDear Caregiver
Dear caregiver, A letter of intent is something that was just recently brought to my attention as something that I need to leave for you. Sure, my husband and I are young, but I’m learning after losing a dear friend at twenty-eight, that life can be short. We need to be prepared. A letter of intent is honestly a term I hadn’t heard of before, but the meaning behind it haunts me every single night. How will you know what he needs if I can’t communicate that for him? Sure,…
Read MoreIt Could Be Him
When the lovely Kate from Finding Cooper’s Voice asked me if I would write about current events every now and again for her page, I thought, sure! Why not? I figured I’d glance across social media every once in a while and find stories about kids with autism. Maybe some of them would be heartwarming, or inspiring, or even a little bit sad. Maybe I’d touch upon discrimination, and heartache. But I’d keep it light, and bright, and motivational. Yet week after week, I read articles that affect me deeply—reports…
Read MoreA Special Needs Mama
A special needs mamaIs weary in her soulDay after dayHas taken its toll Years of sleepless nightsMany thankless jobsThe constant demandsAnd heart wrenching sobs The daily needs grind herAlmost to the boneThe exhaustion, the diapers,all of the unknown A son she prayed forWho’s unruly and wildA son she prayed forWho’s misunderstood as a child But wipe her tears she mustAnd get on with the dayFor duty calls againDuty – without pay The phone calls, the letters,She’s desperate for a breakWhy don’t they help?She thinks, for goodness sake She’ll make them…
Read MoreI Forgot About Autism
Hey autism. We forgot about you for a minute. Here we were just living life. Going about our days like “normal” people. Til’ this morning. I had a need for a good coffee and the girls wanted a milkshake so because things have been so “zen” around here, my silly guard was down and we went to the dome. As if we could just do the”get in the car” and “go sit in a restaurant” thing. I forgot. We got out of the car and immediately Rory bolted. I ran…
Read MoreI’ll Be There For You
After my son Harper and I lay down, he always requests a song. He will say “sing!” Then he will name a certain song. Lately, it has been the “Friends” song. Yep, you heard right…the theme song from the show, Friends. He is definitely his Mama’s child! He would prefer the whole song, but I normally just do the chorus. Tonight was different. Tonight, I sang the whole song. As he drifted off to sleep, I caught myself really listening to the words. Tonight, as I lay there singing my…
Read MoreAutism and Religion
I was raised Catholic. I married a Catholic man. We had our wedding in a Catholic church. We are raising our family by the Catholic faith. So when I watched a video where a Catholic priest in New Jersey who demanded a little boy with non-verbal autism leave the church during his sister’s baptism, I felt many things at once. It was a private ceremony. The boy was off to the side, stimming and running and self-regulating. I felt confused, and angry, and sad, and defeated. I felt tired. Hi.…
Read MoreQuarantine Confession
Every day we wait outside for a package we never ordered. The days of quarantine are long, especially for a child with special needs. The lack of routine is brutal. I use it as a distraction. It is inevitable that the moment Zac and I step out of the family room we will hear the familiar screeching: Help! Stop it! I know at the bottom of the steps Jordan will be lunching for her brother’s neck so she can catch them for a passionate embrace. It would be enough to…
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