When my daughter was born with Down syndrome, I never imagined that someday I would be thankful for her diagnosis. At the time of her birth, our future seemed bleak and limited. But disability was so different from what I thought it would be, and years later, there is so much I am thankful for. I am thankful disability is not the horrible green eyed monster I thought it was I was scared … [Read more...]
For the Times When Others Don’t Get It
Dear special needs parent, Some people will never get what it is like to walk in our shoes. No matter how many times we try to explain our situation, our child, the challenges our family has to face—no matter how many details we share—the reality is that most people won’t get it. And some people might think we are exaggerating, or that we are not doing enough, and we might feel judged by their … [Read more...]
You Are Not a Failure
“I feel like such a failure, I mean, I’m trying to do everything I can to get services for my son but I’m not getting anywhere. His behaviors are getting so challenging. It’s just been….hard. My house is a mess, I forgot to pay for a school field trip, we ran out of clean underwear and my husband and I are fighting all the time.” She sits across from me at Panera with a bread bowl, she stirs the … [Read more...]
When Mama Needs Help
This is a hard post to write because it’s a big issue, it’s something I am constantly working on, an ongoing journey that changes along with the needs of my family. This is not a post about parenting kids with disabilities, or about parenting adopted kids who live with the trauma from their past, or even a post about parenting children with mental health issues. But it is a post about parenting in … [Read more...]
Remember That You Are Not Alone
In this journey of parenting children with disabilities I have discovered that many of us feel alone: Does anyone understand what it is like to walk in our shoes? Could someone really understand why I feel the way I do? Am I the only one that wrestles feeling like I am not doing enough for my child? I wish there was something I could do to change this for you, for me, for all of us. I cannot. So … [Read more...]
Trusting In God In the Midst of Trial
Stephen was stoned to death. He trusted in God completely, even as he was being falsely accused, he trusted in God and he still lost his life. My husband preached about Stephen on Sunday and I kept thinking about our own family, our own trials, our own suffering, how disability impacts us and how often I cry out to God to help me, to help our family. Trusting in God in the midst of trial … [Read more...]