Posts Tagged ‘Special Needs Parenting’
I’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 MoreThe Pieces of Autism
I want to take a few minutes to talk about autism. This is my teenage son. He has what is called High Functioning Autism. I’ve always thought this was a poor name for a very complicated life existence. At a month shy of 14 he officially became a vendor at a local antique store. Because of the way his brain works, because of his Autism and ADHD, he has the ability to watch The Antique Road Show, American Pickers and Pawn Stars and store items away in his mind. When…
Read MoreMama, Take Time To Absorb This New Life
Autism is unconditional love. Autism is hard. Autism is constant struggles. Autism is often full of denials. I received a message from a new mama struggling to accept her son’s diagnosis and trying to find the words to tell her family. I couldn’t give her a magical answer. All I could say was the words will come when you’re ready. Do not rush the emotions. Take time for yourself to absorb the diagnosis. It is life altering. It is shattering. I can honestly say I didn’t accept the Autism diagnosis…
Read MoreMaking New Friends in the New Normal
Now that all the kids are going back to school, your child may notice that another child in their class, the hallway, at lunchtime or at recess is different than them. Your child may come home and ask you or tell you about the differences. Perhaps they will mention their physical characteristics, their special chair, orthopedics, or their different behaviors. Maybe the child refuses to wear a mask or even seems scared or excited by people in them. Maybe they will notice that another child flaps their arms or squeals…
Read MoreIn the Search For Sleep
We chase sleep this kid and I. One of us loves it. The other one not so much. Although he never misses an afternoon nap with his seven blankets and train magazines. I call him a 90-year-old man every afternoon. But the nighttime sleep, he doesn’t love it so much. He goes to bed great…always has. But his preferred time to wake up is 3 am. He comes in my room, touches my shoulder to let me know he’s awake and then he wanders downstairs. I can hear him, my…
Read MoreBalance and Progress
We just went for a family walk plus two. Cooper knew there was a train magazine waiting for him at the mailbox so even though it was not ideal walking, (90 degrees!) we got a good walk into the park before getting the mail. Before we stepped off the porch, Cooper grabbed my arm to get my attention, covered his ears with both hands, and pointed to the sky. Fireworks. He was scared. I think about his world sometimes. Fire and noise in the sky. Scared to step off the…
Read MoreBalancing Two Different Worlds
Tomorrow is the 4th of July. A fun, typically outdoor, social, loud, hot holiday. It’s also a holiday that can be very challenging for families like mine. And put a lot of stress on us. See, our older son struggles with a lot of the parts that make up the fourth. He is scared of fireworks, although he loves to watch them on his iPad. The second he hears one, no matter how far away, he takes off running and hides in our pantry. Parties overwhelm him. Most noises are too…
Read MoreI Choose Gratefulness
It’s interesting to know how much my attitude plays into this whole mothering thing. When my oldest was diagnosed with autism six years ago, my focus was him and him only. He was the one who was struggling. I needed to help him. I learned after hitting my breaking point, that my mental health mattered too. I was exhausted. I was worn down. I felt the weight of hope firmly on my back. And my attitude was being affected. I was looking at things through a sad lens. A heartbroken one.…
Read MoreSome Days, I Just Want to be a Mom
When my daughter Sloane was first diagnosed with autism, I jumped both feet in the water trying to get her every resource that was available to her and arm myself with as much knowledge as I could to help her have the best the care, therapy and life that I could provide her. I also wanted to get perspectives from other parents with children with autism and learn from their journeys. And through the years, I continue to seek out advice and read stories from other parents of children with…
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