Posts Tagged ‘special needs sibling’
Celebrating Unique Paths
I’ve envisioned this moment many times over the years. What it would feel like to experience the high school graduation of my youngest child, Kendall, having not had the opportunity to enjoy this same moment with her older brother, Skyler two years earlier. Would I be overly emotional at the ceremony? Proud and elated for Kendall but at the same time sad knowing that Skyler will never walk across a stage to receive his diploma. I thought maybe I should hold back a little of my outward expressions of excitement…
Read MoreMy Son’s Heart of Compassion
My son, Today is the first day of summer vacation for you. You are 10 and yesterday was your last day of fourth grade. On the walk to the car after your day, not one minute into summer, you said, I’m a fifth grader now. You have always wanted to be older. Bigger. Faster. You have never had time for little kid stuff. I’ve noticed as we’ve entered these in-between years, parenting is getting a bit more confusing. I find myself questioning myself a lot. Wondering if I’m going the…
Read MoreFinding Shared Understanding: Care for the Caregiver Retreat 2023
A few weeks ago, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Care for the Caregiver Retreat in Minnesota, put on by the More Than a Project and Finding Cooper’s Voice. It’s hard to put into words the sense of camaraderie and love I experienced during that time. When my son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder three and a half years ago, I withdrew into myself. Even before the diagnosis, our family had become isolated. Going out in public became a challenge as I couldn’t bear the judgmental stares…
Read MoreIt Takes More Than Most: Life As Special Needs Parent
It takes more than most. A weekend away. A special needs sibling hero. A pdf explaining all of the things. I mean, as much as one of our boys loves car rides, the other is in the completely opposite direction and suffers from car sickness. It doesn’t stop at car rides, either. One is fair with ringlets. The other has dark hair that’s as straight as you can come by. One will walk up to strangers in a crowd and make a dear friend for life. The other will be…
Read MoreA Simple Card, an Unforgettable Gift: The Impact of Inclusion and Support
There is a memory I often share about Mother’s Day. In fact I think it’s even in my book. It impacted me so deeply. So much so that I’m still talking about it 10 years later. My son Cooper is the one who first made me a mom. Today he is 12 years old. He has a diagnosis of severe nonverbal autism. I like to tell the moms and dads of newly diagnosed children that it takes time. Every part. Acceptance. Understanding. Advocacy. It all takes time. Ten years ago,…
Read MoreTwo Brothers Side-By-Side
I’m raising two boys side-by-side. There is barely two years between them. When I found out I was pregnant with my second son all those years ago…I had plans. Big ones. Visions. Expectations. Best friends. Teammates. When the oldest was diagnosed with severe nonverbal autism it all changed. Ever so slightly at first. Than greatly over time. They didn’t play together. They didn’t even acknowledge each other. But time…it has a way of healing and growing. Understanding comes. Loyalty. Love. Devotion. And advocacy. Tonight I watched the one with no…
Read MoreBelieving in Progress: A Brother’s Love
Tonight my older son Cooper and I went to his 10-year-old brother’s baseball game. We were armed with a blanket, a chair, an iPad, hotspot, snacks, a drink, and talk of a visit to the fire station this Saturday. And belief in a boy with autism. Belief in progress and hard work. See he is 12 years old. He doesn’t care much for sports. But he sure loves his brother. He stayed for 1 hour and 45 minutes. I saw almost every inning. I saw my son catch. I saw…
Read MoreMy Son Saves Me Everyday
I want to tell you about a boy. He is ten years old and his name is Sawyer. In my book I say he saved me. The story goes onto share how my heart stopped beating during active labor with him. I came back for him. So he would be okay. I knew he needed me to live for him. But it’s more than that. He’s saved me countless times since then. I spent the last 72 hours with hundreds of moms. Moms like me. And Sawyer stood by my…
Read MoreMy Third Born
I have four kids. They range from 1 to 11. And while they are all carbon copies of each other visually, they are each very unique. When I describe them I often say my Cooper, he sees people. He has the gift of sight that most will never have. I describe my Sawyer as being an old soul. He is thoughtful and kind. My baby, she is stronger willed than any human I have met in my life. And she’s unbelievably smart. She runs this house at 17 months. And…
Read MoreLittle Big Things
When I share my son’s autism, my favorite parts to share are the little big things. The moments that happen that are so huge, yet so subtle, that sometimes I don’t realize they happened until hours later. Like this morning. At 3 am. When I was awake with a toddler who refuses to develop a love for sleep like her mama. My son Cooper is 11 years old. A tween. A soon to be sixth grader. He loves bullet trains, his grandparents, and episodes of Family Feud. He wants to…
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