Posts Tagged ‘Special Needs Parenting’
Turn Your Worry Into Wonder
There is a term I like to use. It’s blissfully unaware. It’s a place and feeling rolled into one. Many of us do this at different times in our lives. We live blissfully unaware. For example, I knew nothing of the emotional pain of a miscarriage until I lost my first baby. I knew nothing of the worry that comes with a child that isn’t developing typically until it was my own son. I knew nothing of the cruelness and brutality of cancer until it took my stepmom. I knew…
Read MoreWe are Raising Him to be Proud of Who He Is
Every morning I wake up to messages from people. Most are well-meaning. Many are kind. A few are awful. Some are bizarre. And some, tell me how to raise my son. And how I’m doing it wrong. They tell me what I should be doing, how I can do it better, and what I can and cannot say about him. I’ve gathered a list of what I cannot say. I cannot say he has autism. Or is autistic. I can’t say he is nonverbal or nonspeaking. I can’t say he…
Read MoreWhat I Need You To Know During Feeding Tube Awareness Week
I entered the world of special needs when my son was three months old. He is a twin and his brother also has special needs, they were premature. Lucas developed an airway disorder called Laryngomalacia when he was a few weeks old. When this happens, you can hear your baby breathing from across the room. They also can turn blue and stop breathing. They may also require oxygen and other life saving measures. It can be terrifying. We figured out at 3 months from tests, that he was aspirating his…
Read MoreMy Son, You Have Taught Me Amazing Things
A letter to my son, As we approach your 3rd birthday I can’t help but reflect back on these past years. It’s just been you and I from the start. And although some day’s feel like an eternity, I still catch myself wondering ‘where has the time gone?’ God made me the luckiest woman alive when he chose me to be your mom. Thank you for your tender kisses, and for your ferocious hugs. For showing me in return all the heart and soul I have poured into you,and for…
Read MoreA Love Letter to Our First Advocate
My son was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3. But I can honestly say that if it hadn’t been for his Speech Therapist at the time, he still may not have a diagnosis. That’s how far into the black hole of denial I was. The funny thing about denial is that no one can pull you out. You have to do it own your own, but there are people that can be that light you reach for. And my son’s first speech therapist was that light for me. …
Read MoreThe Woman Who Showed Me How To Get Through The Hard
Genevieve Ann. There’s a lot that I can say about her. She’s fierce. She makes me laugh. I know if I call her I’ll feel better. I don’t dare miss a Thursday call from her. It’s been our thing since I was little. There was that one time in college where she called me 3x’s upset that I didn’t call her because it’s Thursday. Then she realized it was Wednesday. She and my Papa made quite a team. I remember I wanted my marriage with whoever I married to be…
Read MoreMy Son, You are Mine and I am Yours
To my Johnny, I can see it now; The chaos, the fear, the love, the moment you entered the world. It was 10:31pm and the room was full. Nurses and staff running about, Gad, Grammy and your Aunt cheering with joy, machines beeping and a baby crying. In a strangely unceremonious way you were laid down on my chest facing away from me, curled up in the only position you had ever known. I remember trying to ask if I could see your face and it going unheard. I felt…
Read MoreTo My Daughter’s Birth Mom
Always and in so many silly ways, we love you. Through the remarkably challenging stuff and each heart warming moment, I think of you and I love you. In struggle and in triumph, her dad and I stick to the promises we made with you, six years ago today. When Seeley notices her remarkable hair, she thanks you. When she finds an eyelash and doesn’t want to wish for a pet jellyfish, she sometimes sends you her extra wishes. When she catches a fall on her big biscuits, she screams…
Read MoreA Love Letter to a Fellow Autism Mom
The love language for a special needs parent to feel seen, accepted, and understood is as simple as a head nod, and a “me too” on a zoom call or a quick chat on the phone. Or maybe even in the grocery store where your child is having a hard time. If you’ve ever been that person for another special needs mom, you’ve changed their life, you’ve made them feel seen, and they thank you for it. Thank you for sharing your story of walking through the hard, so that…
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,…
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