It was a Thursday night, and I was sitting on the couch after dinner, watching the news. Noah slipped in from the kitchen and sat down next to me. A few times daily, Noah sidles in to check on me. While his ninja-level lurking usually scares me out of my skin (because, as he says, “Screaming makes my brain all fluttery”), Noah likes to periodically sense my mood and see what I’m doing. Noah … [Read more...]
5 Lessons our Children Need Us to Learn
As our children with special needs grow into adulthood, they need us to grow too. We have a legally binding contract in our home stating that if Max keeps his body healthy for the day, he will be rewarded with enough sugar to propel him into several lunar orbits. Yes, I’m telling you unashamedly, this is actually part of what we call our “healthy body program.” My 25 year-old son has a few … [Read more...]
More Than I Can Handle
Sometimes, as an attempt to comfort your heart as you are struggling through a new diagnosis, or even years afterward, friends or family might offer consolation by saying something along the lines of, “God chose to give you a child with autism because He knew you were strong enough”, or one of my personal favorites, “He will never give you any more than you can handle”, or even the Biblical … [Read more...]
Changing Faith with Autism and the Invisible God
What does it mean to have faith on this parenting journey? September will mark 16 years since autism came into our lives. J was 22 months old. In the very early days, faith meant trusting God for healing. People prayed and encouraged and gave us timelines for God's miracle. "By 6 he will be healed!" they said. I knew to treat that with caution, since they had also told me he would sleep … [Read more...]
Helping our kids with disabilities find and establish friendships
Friends are an integral part of a happy and fulfilled life. We laugh with them, we cry with them, we play with them, we pray with them. As Charles Swindoll says, "I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun." Helping our kids with disabilities find and establish … [Read more...]
Closing The Wedge…Coming Together As A Couple With A Special Needs Child
When we found out the diagnosis that Connor was on the middle of the autism spectrum, my wife began to attach herself to Connor. He became her mission. She was on the internet, reading books, searching everything she could find to help our son. Moms are maternal so there is a natural instinct to take care of their child when something is wrong. Mothers of special needs children will bond even … [Read more...]