Many of us ride the roller coaster of hope. Things are easier to manage when we have hope that everything’s going to turn out all right. When we’re going down the roller coaster, everything looks dismal and bleak. I’m happy to say that I’ve gotten off of the roller coaster for the time being. Things…
Tag Archive: special needs parenting
What’s Bugging You?
Jack is totally in to the Backyardigans (in Jack-anese that’s “back-ya-ya-ya”). There’s this episode that he’s fixated on where the Ya-ya-ya’s chase the wormens around the house singing “what’s bugging you, what’s bugging you, do you have a pesky pest?!” Seems there’s pesky pests everywhere these days (Here: we are talking literal and figurative!). In…
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…
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…
Trusting Our Kids to Live Their Strengths
Sometimes, I’m amazed at my own craziness. Like when I plan to go to the store at the last minute before dinner with hungry kids and a child with SPD who forgot her jacket. Or when I go hiking in flip-flops…. “Mom! Are you okay?” My 4 year old yelled over the rushing water that…
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…
Eating Issues
We’ve developed a really good system for getting the child to eat when we are together as a family. Like most things now that it has become the routine she doesn’t even need a lot of support for this most of the time, but occasionally she is too tired, anxious, excited, distracted, or angry to sit…
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…
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…
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…