It’s the night before surgery, and the house is a wreck. Tristan is sleeping but the bag is not packed. I’m on the internet, Steve’s watching t.v. We’re both in denial that it’ll soon be here. Early to rise, to arrive at 6:00, not looking forward this, I feel sick at the thought. I think…
Category Archives: Family Life
Week of Lasts
Monday was the last day I could take the twins to preschool and run home for two hours of uninterrupted work at my desk. Yesterday was the last day of phonology group therapy for my boy…until the Fall. Today is the last day of preschool – a class picnic that moms and dads attend. Tomorrow…
Teachable Moments
Discipline is the least favorite part of parenting. And for special needs parents it can be especially challenging. Yet without established boundaries, even disabled children will become progressively more difficult and struggle to fit into society. An approach I use is to seize the opportunity presented by “teachable moments”
The ThiRd Rail
I’m still trying to figure out twitter. Can’t decide if it’s really useful for me or not. I’m trying out HootSuite which makes it more accessible, but still kind of overwhelming. Anyway last night as I was scrolling through the most recent tweets two words jumped out at me. Perhaps they would have jumped out…
Managing My Girl’s Tough Bipolar Weeks
Tough week here. My 9 year old forgot to take her meds once last weekend, and she spun into a pit of moody darkness for the rest of the week. It’s just part of the job with a neuro-atypical child, these zero-to-sixty meltdowns. It’s the crappy part of the job. Here’s how I handled it…
A Prayer For Memorial Day
As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day Holiday in the US, I thought it’s fitting to take a moment to pray for our Armed Forces. While I realize that not everyone who reads the posts on this site might share my beliefs, I hope nobody would find this prayer offensive. Furthermore, I hope everyone, in…
Language is Amazing
For the most part the child’s language seems pretty typical now, but every once in a while something pops up that just highlights how differently she processes words. The exchange yesterday between the child (age 7) and her little sister (age 3) went something like this… 7 yo: “You Dare!” 3 yo: “I’m not a…
Lessen the Burden
As a special needs parent, we realize that one day we will be gone. More often than not, siblings of our special needs kids are called upon to assume a caretaker role. What can we do today to lessen the burden on them?
Coming Back to the Craziness: Dealing With Subtle Grief
This weekend I left my life of raising special needs kids for 3 days of complete relaxation. I visited my mom in Arizona and enjoyed meals out, sleeping in, and lots of shopping (sans racing from the premises with tantruming 8-year old). It was a delight. But of course all things must end. Including the…
Love Can Build a Bridge Between Your Heart and Mine
What is it about the wheelchair that attracts people? Some times it’s the looks but other times there are full blown conversations with people the randomly say things (not all bad!) My first outing with my son and his wheelchair was to a restuarant. I was meeting a friend for breakfast. We were eating and…