We women are notorious for doing it... We complain that we need help, but then we are critical of our husbands when they lend a hand. Raise your hand if you've ever done it. I'm raising mine too! Mentoring other parents like myself over the years, I see this as a repeated issue between husbands and wives. Yet, I don't think mothers realize how much they shut their husbands out of the … [Read more...]
To Those Who Have Gone Before Us
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get so focused on dealing with all the current crises in our family life that I don’t spend enough time reflecting on our blessings. Most notably, in our fight for progress with our children’s care now, we forget how fortunate we are to live at such a time as this. Not only are treatment breakthroughs of every kind occurring more rapidly, but the flow of … [Read more...]
The Making of a Super Hero
Special needs parenting is NOT for sissies. Perhaps that is why so many people fear us, fear our children. I think most of us would agree that one of the more annoying platitudes people throw at us when we become a caregiver is, “God only gives special kids to really special parents. He must have known that you could handle a child like this.” The crying fetal position we find ourselves in at … [Read more...]
Momma Bear Lets Go
There are momma bears, and then there are MOMMA BEARS. Those of us who are raising a child with a chronic illness, disability, or special need tend to fall in the second category. While not necessarily qualifying as a “helicopter parent,” we do tend to stay a little more engaged than the average mom or dad, monitoring for anything serious in the way of medical, psychological, behavioral, or social … [Read more...]
The Cares of a Caregiver
Raising a child with a chronic illness or special need, it's easy to keep our nose so to the grindstone that we don't notice what is going on around us. That became painfully apparent to me recently when I was speaking with someone about the stress they face with an elderly parent. "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress … [Read more...]
When There Is More Than One Diagnosis
Lightning can and does strike the same place twice. Ask me how I know. For too many years I subscribed to the delusional belief that if I endured some sort of remarkable challenge, I would be exempt from future struggles or trials. God has made it a life-long lesson to show me the error of my ways, and to reveal the incredible difference He can make with lives that are completely dependent upon … [Read more...]