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...]
I Need a Guide, a Map, a How To
Parenting would be a lot easier if it came with a map, "You start here, you end up here, and this is how you get there." Simple. Logical. Organized. A road map. But if I've learned anything about parenting so far is that it's complicated, sometimes illogical, and definitely messy. Oh there are so many layers and qualifications to the messy! As if parenting was not hard enough, in our family … [Read more...]
My Daughter’s Disability Is Not a Tragedy
My daughter was zooming through the toy aisles at Wal-Mart with her walker, I was chasing her and asking her to stop or else there would be no Lala Loopsie. Actually, she had more of a run-run-glide thing going on. One of the workers was standing on a ladder arranging shelves and noticed, I was sure he was going to ask her to stop running, but instead, he looked down at me and said, “I am so so … [Read more...]
Why are We So Afraid of Disability?
I had an aunt with a disability. She had a big head, a small body, she used a wheelchair, and the hair on her chin tickled my face when I had to kiss her. I was scared of her. “Don’t stare at her, it’s rude! Look away!” I wanted to stare. I was just a little kid, and I did not understand how someone could have a body like hers. Sometimes, I would hide behind furniture and stare at … [Read more...]