One of my greatest worries as a parent of multiple children is whether I spend enough quality time and give enough attention to each of them. As a parent of children with disabilities, this worry is greater than average, I believe. Ashley is my child that needs the most hands-on assistance. She cannot be left…
Category Archives: Family Life
The Real Reason
The following is from one of my favorite writers, and reminds me what Christmas is really about. I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful holiday season! A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the…
Speaking Their Mind
My children love teeshirts, especially teeshirts that make a statement, even more especially teeshirts that make a statement about disability issues. So, in searching for some Christmas gifts, I found some shirts I especially liked at CafePress. So if you have ‘mouthy’ children like mine and are in need of some Christmas ideas, here are…
How the kids make me laugh
My four-year-old, Sabrina, is amusing to listen to pretty much at all times. She’s always making observations; having her around is sort of like having running commentary on your life from a sportscaster. “Mommy, why do you drink coffee? Does it taste as good as chocolate milk?” “Mommy, I’m not putting on my socks because…
Leftover Children
Leftovers – lots of leftovers – turkey, gravy, yams, stuffing, green beans, rolls. One of the best things about Thanksgiving dinner is having leftovers for the next few days. One of my favorites is a hot turkey sandwich – leftover turkey piled high on leftover yeast rolls and then covered in leftover gravy. After a…
Worth Every Challenge
I just posted this on my personal blog, and normally would not duplicate it here. But since this is National Adoption Month, and since adoption is the thing that has made my life complete, I feel compelled to continue spreading the word. Hope you don’t mind… From a very young age, I always wanted to…
Adolescence
Where have the last years gone? Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was sitting at my dining room table talking to a social worker about the safety features of my house? I know where it has gone. To therapy. And hospitals. And detention. It has gone to struggle and success and soccer. It has vanished…
My Definition
Deb*or*ah [deb-er-uh, deb-ruh] -noun 1. mother of four children, three of whom have disabilities 2. tireless advocate for her children and others with disabilities 3. advisory board member 4. trainer 5. blogger 6. ex-police officer, current computer engineer, avid reader, gardener, hiker, beach lover, and basically normal person with typical dreams and desires ——————————————————————————– In…
My son’s happiness vs. our family’s happiness
This weekend, we decided to go out for Italian food at a new restaurant. It was dinnertime, it was going to be crowded, we should have known better. Max gets wiggy in unfamiliar environments, and he can’t stand noise. But we wanted to try. You can guess what happened. We got there, they seated us,…
I Wanna Hold Your Hand (among other things)
I’ve got birds – I’ve got bees – what I don’t have is a teenage daughter who understands her sexuality. But that teenage daughter is longing for those things she is having trouble labeling. My 18 year old daughter, Jessica, is significantly intellectually disabled. But her hormones work just fine, and she is trying to…