Everyday, we face situations we cannot control ... We receive a bad report from a doctor. A job (and it's desperately needed paycheck) suddenly becomes unstable. Your child cannot sleep through the night. When anxiety places its cold hand on our shoulder because of a difficult circumstance and the future seems unsure, we are presented with a choice: Keep on struggling in fear ... or choose to … [Read more...]
Victory in the Seeming Loss of Special Needs Advocacy
It was a verbal game of chess. Winner takes all. If my son won the argument, we would return home. If I won, we would get out of the car and walk into the church. When John added a new reason why he didn’t want to go inside, I was sure he’d made a fatal mistake. He said he felt “stood up,” as he attended church each week. I countered with a correction, “’Stood up’ means showing up and no one is … [Read more...]
Summer Prayer for Special-Needs Families
My seven-year-old son with level 3 autism doesn't know many words, but his favorite word is "school" and we hear it at least once an hour all day long, even when he's out for summer break. It isn't his favorite time of year, which makes it hard on the entire family. As we move through the summer, I've been whispering lots of prayers for our family and for your family too. Praying you find strength … [Read more...]
7 Practical Ways to Encourage a New Special Needs Parent
Do you remember when you first heard your child's diagnosis? You probably remember it as well as you remember key national events or even the birth of your child. How did you feel? Scared? Confused? Relieved? Unsure? Alone? Your crazy schedule, juggling appointments, numerous medications, and multiple therapies seem like the "normal everyday" to you now. But, how overwhelming was it all … [Read more...]
Special Needs Parents: How Do We Get over Our Fear of the Future?
Ask 100 special-needs parents what their #1 stress is and it's likely 99 of them will answer the unknown future for their kids. How do we learn to laugh at the time to come, like the Proverbs 31 woman? What happens when those with special needs age out of the education system? That's the question Dateline set out to answer on their show this week. They spent three years following two … [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...]