Posts Tagged ‘Special Needs Parenting’
‘I Hear You Happy’
Cooper, Last night you were upstairs with your brother. It was long past your bedtime…which for Sawyer isn’t strange. That kid would stay up all night long. But not you. You have an internal alarm that tells you when it’s 9 pm and it’s game over. Up to bed you go with seven blankets and a pile of treasures so high it takes you two trips up the stairs. But last night was different from some reason. I heard your sounds first. Laughing. Squeals. Little screams. Hums. Giggles. You are…
Read MoreThinking in ‘Nevers’
When my son was diagnosed with autism six years ago, I began to think in nevers. Now as a typically very positive person, it felt strange. It felt unlike me. But, that’s how the people around us spoke about autism. Your son will never talk. He will never ride a bike. He will never make a friend. I could go on an on. He will never have a normal life. He will never live independently. Never, never, never. With each evaluation for services, benefits and placements, the nevers stacked up.…
Read MoreCaring For Brother
Tonight we took a boat ride. Sawyer brought two friends. A brother and sister who are very much a part of our family. The big kids, Cooper included, all wanted to sit in front and scream at Jamie to go faster. They were also supposed to watch for logs but that part didn’t happen. As we boated along we hit some rough water. It only lasted a minute or so. Pretty common on a Friday on the St. Croix River. Anyhow, Cooper squealed as a bit of water splashed in…
Read MoreCelebrating Victories
I used to not be good at celebrating victories. I was so hyper-focused on everything my son had to learn that I lived in this crazy place where I kept thinking about what I needed to teach him next. Almost like a checklist. And I’d tell myself…when ‘this’ happens, then we will celebrate. When he starts talking or when he does whatever. It came from a place of love and devotion to help him. I wanted to help him so badly. But because of it, I missed a lot of…
Read MoreBalancing Work and Parenthood
Last night this little peanut snuck down the stairs after he was supposed to be sleeping. He peeked his head around the staircase and said, ‘mama, when are you going to bed?’ I told him after the news but he didn’t seen satisfied with that answer. ‘I never see you anymore because of your dumb job. You are always working lately. I miss you.’ And with that he was down the stairs and in my arms asking to sleep in my bed. It’s bizarre lately. I am with my babies…
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 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…
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