Posts Tagged ‘Special Needs Parenting’
Beautiful Gifts
My middle son has been having some big feelings lately. He is 8 years old and sandwiched in between two very big personalities. I think sometimes it can be lonely to be the easy one. His dad and I are working for hard to make sure he knows how magnificent and treasured he is. Last night a movie on the couch with popcorn and tickles. This morning a doughnut date before school, just the two of us. And lots of conversation. Which is the best part in my opinion. I…
Read MoreBalancing Safety and Independence
I’ve been thinking a lot about safety lately. My son is ten years old. He is in the fourth grade. He adores riding the bus too and from. Every afternoon his driver with the kind eyes tells me that Cooper hugs his bus aide. He adores people. Always has. Cooper is a very smart boy. He knows the alphabet, how to search for ‘Hobart and Cosmo’ in YouTube, and how to do some addition. He knows when his baby brother is being naughty and to use a paper towel to…
Read MoreThere is no Perfect Life
Nobody’s life is perfect. I think it’s important to say that. In fact, most people’s lives are not easy. But yet social media sets this precedent that every moment must be magical and perfect. And a competition. Holidays. Family photos. Sunday mornings. I see it a lot specifically in the world of special needs parenting. Whose autism is harder? Because I’m happy most of the time, obviously our autism is easy. That’s one game I absolutely refuse to play. I will not compete or compare or rank out autism against…
Read MoreWatching the World Through Autism’s Eyes
Hi. My name is Carrie. I am married to a man named Joe, and we have five kids. Our second child, Jack, is diagnosed with autism. He is almost seventeen years old. We spend a lot of time working on open-ended questions with Jack: who, what, where, when, and why. Who is your favorite teacher? What would you like for dinner? Where did you put your glasses? When do you want to leave for the store? Why do you think Billie Eilish is the greatest singer of all time? See, you can’t answer these kinds of questions with…
Read MoreAutism Awareness Month Feels Different This Year
I helped my boy get dressed today, as I do each morning. “One foot in sweetheart,” I quietly instructed, going through the familiar motions. I checked the calendar for a quick run down of our day… April 1st. The start of Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month. Letting out a sigh, I hurried off to gather items for Leo’s therapy sessions, my mind wandering to those earlier days, when excitement was all abuzz, as April neared. When we’d wear a certain color to commemorate the day… And Facebook posts and videos depicting individuals…
Read MoreIn One Second
My son Stalen is almost 6 years old and on the autism spectrum. His safety is my priority, always. He has no sense of safety or danger. He elopes. He is a runner. He is an opportunist. As soon as he sees an opportunity he bolts. When these incidents occur, his strength and speed are super human. He has crossed beyond the tree line into the woods on me a couple of times. He has unlocked the door once and gone outside-luckily-into our fenced in backyard. He has bolted across…
Read MoreLessons I’ve learned About Marriage While Raising a Special Needs Child
We’ve spent so much of our time and marriage teaching our son how to communicate that somewhere along the way my husband and I forgot how to effectively do that with each other. Days are long, sometimes sleepless nights feel longer and the added stress of balancing therapy appointments, bills, insurance calls, and so on makes it harder to remember you’re on the same team. I’ll never say marriage is harder for those of us raising special needs children because I have no proof that’s true, but what I can…
Read MoreI Wonder
My son, I wonder if you will always reach for my hand when we are walking. I wonder if you will always be precious and innocent. I wonder if you will always gasp at birds and at squirrels. I wonder if you will always point to airplanes. And wave to strangers. And bark when puppies walk by. I wonder if you will always run up to a mud puddle with such joy and excitement and then look back to get my attention before you jump in. I wonder if we…
Read MoreSilence and Sunshine
My son, This morning was one of those great mornings. You and I, sitting side-by-side, taking in the morning in our own familiar way. You on the couch surrounded by 7 fleece blankets and treasures. Me, right next to you in the recliner, feet up, drinking coffee. The news was going on about something or another but I couldn’t really hear it over the music blaring from your iPad. You were dancing to it. Every few seconds you would pick up my arm and move it with yours to the…
Read MoreHe Waits for Me
For the last few weeks, I have been spending a lot of my time driving back and forth to visit my dad in the hospital. And it’s no short trip. It’s nearly 3 hours one way. This means I’ve missed being home when my boys get off of the bus. Which is okay, my dad needs me. And these boys are in more than capable hands with their dad. But it’s hard. It makes me feel out of wack, like I can’t get my bearings. I don’t like missing anything…
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