When Vacationing Is “Brave”

‘You’re so brave for going on vacation without your kids. I could never do that as a mother.’ Hold up. Stop the train. What a thing to read at 3 am. That is what we call a backhanded compliment. I get them all the time. But this one, well, it struck a nerve. See, I did go on vacation. I abandoned my three sweet boys and husband to go to Disney for four blissful days. I pushed pause on my own work, canceled therapy appointments and organized what I could…

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You Answered my Prayers

It was a beautiful warm day in Hawaii. I was sipping my favorite tropical cocktail and watching my boys, ages 13 and 11, splash in the pool. We had just started our three week summer vacation. I should’ve been in the ultimate state of relaxation but, every few minutes, I hear my youngest. He’s been making his way from pool to pool in an exact pattern for the last half hour and, every time he gets close to my lounge chair, I can see he’s having a rough time. He…

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When Do We Stop Trying?

When do you stop trying to do the normal stuff? Is it like introducing a new food to a toddler? I read years ago about weaning a baby and introducing food saying you should try your child with something 8-10 times before you accept they don’t like it. Is life the same? Or am I being cruel? We are in our last couple of days of our vacation (we call it a holiday). I have tried my best not to push my son’s boundaries too much but just enough to…

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Traveling with Severe Autism

We just got back from a 3-day trip to Washington, DC. To say that I was dreading this trip would be an understatement. Plane rides, security checks, hotels, crosswalks, crowds, the unknown – all of this is so overwhelming for our family. You see, we have three amazing kids, but Drew, our 13-year-old son, has severe autism. He is non-verbal and really doesn’t like to venture very far outside of his routine and typical home/school/therapy environments. Or does he? This trip literally started off with a disaster of the epic…

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