This week is my daughter’s 16th birthday. We aren’t going to be helping her study for her driver’s permit. Nor are we having a big party, complete with fancy dress and a hair and makeup appointment, like many other girls in our area have when they reach this momentous age. We aren’t even throwing a little dinner like we did when her brother hit 16, because last year when we … [Read more...]
The Harder Days of Being a Special Needs Mom
The other day I found myself getting angry, frustrated, and even sad at a parenting article I read in a magazine. The funny thing is, it wasn’t a piece on the pros and cons of feeding your kid sugar, whether I’m a good or bad mother because I stay home, or whether my youngest child is forever damaged because I bottle fed him but nursed his older brother and sister. No, it … [Read more...]
My Special Dancer
I run through the list in my head. Dance costume? Check. Jazz shoes? Check. Do I need hairpins? No, this is only the dress rehearsal. I’ll get hairpins and hairspray before next week’s recital. I reach in my closet and get the costume. I don’t know why I have butterflies in my stomach. It’s my nine-year-old daughter who will be preforming, not me. Check the time. 11:45. … [Read more...]
3 Life Lessons My Dishwasher Taught Me
Five years ago I stepped into my kitchen to grab a cup of coffee before the kids came home from school and was greeted with a flood of almost biblical proportions. My seven-year-old dishwasher was the cause. Once it was declared officially dead a few days later, Joe and I went out and bought a new one. Little did I know that my brand new, and not inexpensive, appliance would … [Read more...]
Some Days
Some days raising a child with significant special needs means witnessing miracles. Simple things that most parents would take for granted become landmarks. If Lizzy answers me when I ask her what dress she would like to wear, or spontaneously lets me know she likes the strawberry ice cream she is eating, that’s a big deal. Some days it feels as if my heart is being torn out … [Read more...]
