Posts Tagged ‘Special Needs Parenting’

I never thought I would have four kids. I’m not sure if I’ve ever shared that before. I thought two, maybe three. But four? It still surprises me sometimes. Four is loud. Four is chaotic. Four is wonderful. Four is fulfilling. A few days ago on Easter I woke up first. Which most definitely surprised me because as my two middles went to sleep last night I heard them plotting to wake up early to catch the Easter bunny. As I got the coffee going my third son came downstairs.…

I took two of my kids on a walk this morning. It’s our first real spring like day in Minnesota. Sawyer rode his bike and I pushed the little one in the stroller. Five minutes in, Sawyer’s bike tire popped. Like dramatically. Like in a cartoon. WHOOOSH the air blew out. His face fell. A popped tire was not in his plans. I told him that we would park his bike in the neighbor’s yard so we could get our walk in. As his mom, I knew his wiggles needed…

Autism Spectrum Disorder became a constant companion in our life one April day a five years back. I think back to that day and realize both how naive and how unprepared I was for the journey ahead. There are a lot of things I would go back and tell myself on that day that I sat with tear-filled eyes not knowing which way was up. These are just a few I would tell myself or a new mama sitting in the dark with a fresh diagnosis… First, take a deep…

When you have a child diagnosed with autism, it’s not about you as the parent. At least that’s what we are told. Your sole focus becomes helping your child. Getting them the help they need. Services. Supports. Therapies. Education. And so on. That’s the role of a parent. And that’s how it should be. But one part that is overlooked, I think, is the evolution of the parent. Their journey. And the patience that should be given to them when everything changes suddenly. It’s not easy ya know. Stepping off…

I could tell you a hundred things this kid has taught me in his thirteen years. More than most adults I know honestly. I had no idea when I was pregnant with my first born that he would end up being the teacher that I needed. Or that a child would turn me into the person I was meant to be. Funny to think about how I actually fought it at first. See, that’s the fear of the unknown. It’s a natural human reaction I suppose. I was scared. It’s…

At the park last night, one of these boys played with boys his own age. He went up the slide and scaled the jungle gym like an acrobat. One of these boys chased after the older boys. They tickled him and he loved the attention. He went down the slide a hundred times and said…’mommy watch this!’ The other boy felt the mulch with his fingers, went down the slide twice because his mom asked him too, and spent the majority of his time tapping the metal garbage can and…