Posts Tagged ‘Special Needs Parenting’
There is so Much Beauty
I think about the beginning sometimes. When I first heard the word autism. It was in a lunch-and-learn at the nonprofit I worked at. I was eating a sandwich, minimally paying attention, when the woman started describing signs of autism in toddlers. As she ticked off a list of traits, I did everything I could to keep my cool. The only sign of my internal panic being the flush that turned my cheeks and neck a deep red. I could feel the heat radiating from my face. She was describing…
Read MoreA Friday Smile
All three of my boys have fallen in love with random objects throughout their life. And also, slept with them. Cooper used to sleep with 8×10 photos of our family. And puzzles. And 12 blankets. Sawyer used to sleep with you swords and nerf guns. He also wore a swimsuit every day for over a year. His reasoning, he wanted to be ready to go swimming if someone asked. And Harbor? Well, he has been known to sleep with monster trucks, Nerf Guns, a hockey stick, shovels, bey blades, and…
Read MoreProgress Over Perfection
Progress over Perfection. That’s a phrase I think about a lot. In the most challenging years of our son’s life, post autism diagnosis, it felt like we were frozen in time. Or moving backwards even. But never forward. Our son was in pain, but we didn’t know why or what. He didn’t sleep or communicate. He hurt himself and us. He rarely smiled. For years it seemed like he wasn’t made for this big, confusing world. And to top it off, the world didn’t seem to want him either. But…
Read MoreThe Mistakes I’ve Made
I’m going to tell you a not-so-secret secret. I have made some mistakes over the years in my parenting journey. Shocker, right? Not really I suppose. There are no perfect parents, and this stuff is hard. I have three boys. They are 10, 8, and 2. I also am 28 weeks pregnant with a baby girl. Life is about to get a whole lot crazier. My ten-year-old has autism and on paper is nonverbal. My 8-year-old is my emotional guy. And the toddler, don’t even get me started on him.…
Read MoreI Don’t Know Why
Hi. My name is Carrie Cariello. I am married to a man named Joe. We have five children, and our second son, Jack, has autism. Nearly seventeen years ago, I gave birth to a baby boy with a neurological disorder. It impacts the way he eats, sleeps, talks, and thinks. Autism is a little like the ocean. One moment, the waves are calm, and quiet. You admire their wide blue solace. But in the blink of an eye, it changes. The water becomes turbulent, and chaotic. Every once in a while, I wonder…
Read MoreWhy Special Needs Mom’s Need to Find Their Tribe
I remember being in college and hanging out with friends all the time. You had your education friends, the friends you made during Freshman orientation. If someone was walking down the hall talking about Skyline Chili or LaRosa’s Pizza you’d hop in the car with them and go. Those were the good old days. The fun days. Then you get married and have kids and all of sudden your life is so unrecognizable and somehow during labor you forget how to make friends. It becomes this awkward thing. Where you…
Read MoreMy Son is More Than His Diagnosis
On this day 6 years ago, our son Shawn Corey received his official diagnosis of mild to moderate Autism. I can’t even begin to describe or express how we have all grown since then. I can’t even find the right words to express how proud my son has made me. I’d say the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that Shawn is so much more than his diagnosis. All people with special needs are much more than their diagnosis. He’s accomplished so much in the last 6 years I can’t even…
Read MoreWe Are All Worthy
Erase the word. Wouldn’t it be nice if it were that simple? There are certain words that have such a negative impact. Words that describe race, sexual orientation, substance abuse, and disabilities. As a parent of a child with special needs, I want to talk about the stigma of the derogatory word used to describe people with mental disabilities and the word that is also used as slang to make fun of others, in reference to them being stupid. I clearly remember sitting across from the psychologist as he was…
Read MoreSometimes She Teaches Me
My five year old was having a summer pandemic playdate complete with masks and social distancing. It had been a while since we had actually seen other people in-person outside of our immediate family. She was beaming for the first time in six months and was so excited to actually be able to play with a friend. Unlike me, she wasn’t nervous. She didn’t care about the mask. She wasn’t worried about maintaining six feet of distance. She was just so happy to get a piece of normal back. My…
Read MoreThat Old Famous Line
Close your eyes. And just for a moment think back to the most important piece of advice you got when you were younger, on how to treat others. This is mine, and I know you’ll recognize it… We were all told that famous line as children, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. And yet, I find myself exhaling extra deep when I hear specific hateful, mindless words fall from the mouths of children and adults alike, still, at this day in age. Words…
Read More