Each new school year I hand over a “parent report” to the child’s new teacher. I wrote a blog post about it at my personal site a couple of years ago. I still think it is one of the most powerful tools in my special needs mom arsenal. Our report is about five pages long, though I’ve also…
Category Archives: PDD
Homework Strategies
Ah…now I remember what takes the shine right off of back to school – back to homework. The child brought home her first ever second grade homework packet yesterday. Yeah, it didn’t go so well. It didn’t help that the homework arrived on a Tuesday. We have gymnastics right after school on Tuesday and don’t…
We’re all Different…We’re all the Same
I’m writing a story with the child about the things that make us different from each other. I’m hoping this will be a soft entry to explaining her challenges and her triumphs over them in a way that is positive and yet open and honest. We’ve already talked about how even the people in our…
The Big Secret…
I’ve been thinking a lot about how being a special needs parent has changed my life. Sure, there are sleepless nights, giant messes, and financial worries. Even typical parents have those problems! Yet, I have learned priceless lessons—some about me, some about the world. These…are the secrets that make this journey worth it all. 1….
The Blues
I apologize for the brief delay in posting today. I will blame it on re-entry issues from our wonderful, but routine-zapping camping trip. That and the start of school just a day later seems to have put my schedule (and my brain) in a blender on high speed. Meanwhile, I picked the child up from…
The Sand Trap
I met a mom at the park the other day. Somehow I don’t think we’ll be new best friends. It all started when my kids decided to play in the sand area, and I settled in the shade with my book. The child asked if I had brought her bucket and shovel and I told…
Not Much to Say
There’s a lot going on over here, but nothing momentous, which is in and of itself kind of momentous. We’re sort of getting used to drama, sadly, so when a significant number of days goes by without any it can almost be unsettling. Enjoy it while it lasts, except you’re dreading when it might end;…
Conversational Carousel
The other day I took the child to a nearby amusement park. We enjoyed our mommy-daughter outing with one of her friends and her mom. One of the rides we most enjoyed was the 100 year old carousel. It was truly beautiful. The horses had hair tails instead of painted ones, and there were even…
Grief
One of my best friends died last Friday. When I say friend, I don’t mean the “girlfriend” type of friend, more the “mom away from mom and grandmother type figure to my kids” kind of friend. Needless to say I am still reeling, as are all of the other people who knew her and loved…
Raising Cheerleaders
I am about as introverted as people come. I am also chronically clumsy, and average looking at best. I was never cheerleader material. I wasn’t even interested. It never mattered until a couple of years ago when my husband and I were blessed to sit in on a behavior management class, which we desperately needed….