The only redemptive feature of hours and hours in doctor waiting rooms is the abundance of fun magazines. Ok, not abundance. More like a handful of worn, outdated family magazines which, to their credit, at least offer some "Oh, I haven't tried that one before" snack-making ideas. But even those magazines can have interesting quizzes in them. As I left the neurologist's office yesterday morning, … [Read more...]
That Feeling You Never Let Yourself Feel
We sat in the car, inching forward in traffic that stretched miles ahead of us. My tween daughter turned on the radio. "Not that station!" I protested internally, but said nothing. She pulled out a granola bar and started eating (by which, I mean she ate 1/2 and ejected the crumbs from the rest around the seat). I looked over, tried to breathe away the annoyed reaction to her mess... Then I saw … [Read more...]
To the New Mother of a Baby with Down syndrome
To the new mother of a baby with Down syndrome Meeting Her I remember the feeling. That first meeting with another family farther along the path of Down syndrome after the birth of our child with the same diagnosis. I remember fear and fascination. Fear of the child four or five years old who's eyes mirrored my baby's. She shouldn't have looked like him. I birthed her. She should have … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Press Through Your Biggest Parenting Fear
True Confessions: I don't follow the news. Maybe it's because I get enough news from my daughters' teachers, doctors, and therapists. Maybe because I'd rather read a novel or stare at a wall with the 10 minutes of free time I have during the day. Or maybe it's because I know I'll find stories like the one last weekend. Ones that fracture the heart of a mom raising a child with mental … [Read more...]
20 Years of The Providence of God
"I don't know what the future holds for my disabled child, and it scares me to death!" This is probably one of the most common comments I hear from parents in the community of disability. My advice usually comes in the form of backward-glancing experience, and sounds something like this: "The providence of God is not a mountaintop where we stand and look outward at the future unfolding … [Read more...]
“If you’d just try. . .” {And other comments that make us want to scream}
With 4 kids under 12 years old, who have companion terms like foster/adopt, bipolar, RAD, ODD, SPD, ADHD and GAD, we learned pretty early on that I’d need help around the house. Enter my sweet, committed house cleaner, Clara (not her real name). Every two weeks, we get ready for Clara’s team to deep clean our place. On top of the usual daily cleaning of dishes, washing soiled … [Read more...]