Posts Tagged ‘Special Needs Parenting’
To the Mama Whose Baby Isn’t Starting School Today
To the mama whose baby isn’t starting school today. To the parent who is wondering if they should take the picture. And wondering if they should celebrate just another day. To the dad whose sending some kids back to school but not the others. To the parent feeling a twinge of sadness today. Or a lot. I understand Your child doesn’t go to a typical school. They go to therapy. There are no grade levels. Just continuous time. Or maybe they do but they aren’t really in a grade. On…
Read MoreSix More Years
On this day, six years ago we were so confident in our adoption journey, we shared that we had been chosen. As I look at us and who we were, I see so much more than two rested soon to be parents. I remember the tears, the years and the struggle to become parents. I remember the decade of living with an empty crib as various agencies told us we were ready and waiting. The dreams of what it would be like. Mostly, I remember the joy that filled my…
Read MoreAll I’ve Been Told
Oh, he’s not talking yet? Kids do things in their own time, there’s no need to worry. Don’t rush to label him. A label could hold him back in life. You need to do something to get him sleep. You should let him cry. Maybe try co-sleeping. Oh, co-sleeping is very bad. He’ll eat when he’s hungry. Don’t tell everyone he has autism. People will judge him for it. You look tired. Have you tried essential oils? Have you looked into a gluten-free diet? Have you considered horse therapy? He…
Read MoreSometimes You Just Do Not Need Words
My daughter does not speak as much as a three and half year old should. She thinks a lot. She understands. She is very bright but she cannot express her feelings and experiences into words. She has never said her belly hurts or that she is scared. I have never heard about her day. She has never asked me why a sound of something is super loud, in fact she has never asked me a question about anything, not one single time. The other day I picked her up…
Read MoreComing 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 MoreSwinging And Success
There is something about a summer night. We took a last minute family walk with promises to check the mailbox after two slides down the slide and one swing for ten seconds. Well, he nailed the walk and went down the slide three times! And, he swung for over a minute. On a big kid swing. While dad pushed him. Before Cooper I never knew that swinging can be hard. That holding on takes a lot of muscle. And that it would take years just to get him on the…
Read MoreA Life Of Rushing
We are never not rushed. I could tell you it’s the chaos of life, or the fact that we have three busy boys, or a dozen other reasons. But those aren’t the real ones. We are always rushed because our oldest son often struggles when we are away from home. He struggles with sitting and walking and standing still and waiting in line. He gets anxious by the sounds and smells and colors. He gets nervous understanding what is expected of him. It’s not is fault. There is no blame.…
Read MoreHaving Success
Proud mama moment! We visited our favorite place today, The Twin City Model Railroad Museum. When we got the email earlier in the week I had mixed emotions. My first thought…YES! Cooper has been asking every day to visit. But then immediate worry. Masks are required. So, we started practicing that night. Ten seconds at first. Then 30 seconds. We tried different types of masks and found this style to work the best for him. It goes around his neck and he is in control of pulling it up and…
Read MoreThe Many Faces Of Anxiety
In this house anxiety is always present. It is attached to a little boy with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Some days it may hide, not showing on a cute picture, but on most days, it follows him like a shadow, waiting to remind us that it indeed rules. Today, anxiety is one sleep until the train museum. Yesterday, it was two sleeps. A week ago, seven sleeps. Anxiety is the calendar in our kitchen. TRAIN MUSEUM written in big blue letters. We talk about it a hundred times a…
Read MoreYou Are His Home
Sawyer, you’ve asked me a lot of questions over the years about your older brother. You’ve asked me why he doesn’t talk. You’ve asked me if you are the older brother. You’ve asked me if you could have autism too, like him. You’ve asked me who is going to care for him when mommy and daddy are gone. And recently, you asked me if Cooper knew you were his brother. I told you of course. I said without a doubt he knows. But I know you still wonder. You want…
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