If you were asked to share with a group of parents things you’re glad you did as you were raising your kids, what would you say? My husband and I were given this opportunity recently at our church. Over the next five posts, I want to share with you the five choices we’re glad…
In a perfect world, I would be patiently doing many hours of therapy each day with my son and in a perfect world, he would be meeting milestone after milestone. Then there’s reality. Calvin is one of five kids who need me, he is not “catching up” developmentally, and some days it’s all I can do to…
What does it mean to have faith on this parenting journey? September will mark 16 years since autism came into our lives. J was 22 months old. In the very early days, faith meant trusting God for healing. People prayed and encouraged and gave us timelines for God’s miracle. “By 6 he will be healed!”…
“Mom, sometimes, when I look at Nichole she is so cute that I feel like crying because my heart is so full of love.” There are times I look at my children and I feel like crying because of the intense love I feel for them. It is a love so hard to contain that…
Friends are an integral part of a happy and fulfilled life. We laugh with them, we cry with them, we play with them, we pray with them. As Charles Swindoll says, “I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full…
Is your shopping done yet? Have you nailed the best deals on all of the supplies on your child’s class list? Is the smell of new athletic shoes and fresh clothing purchases permeating your house yet? While it all sounds so hopeful, if you’re house is anything like ours, there’s a slow, sickening churning of…
Be honest. Even if you didn’t say that out loud, you’ve thought it at least once! Yet, the primary “care-giver” really does have the need to leave home, leave town, and leave their child behind from time to time. Perhaps we need to leave our child behind (not in the sense that they’re taking off…
We all know disability draws the attention of others. I get it. I look, too. We often feel like everybody is Evan’s friend. (Mostly pretty girls. Evan has moves like Jagger. Be jealous.) People we don’t recognize will stop to talk to Evan because they know him from somewhere. Occasionally, they will tell us how they are acquainted with him. But…
As a special-needs parent let me be clear that my overriding feeling is gratitude toward professionals who help kids and families with mental health challenges and developmental disabilities. I have a Ph.D. and my husband is an M.D. so I understand the challenges on both sides of this issue. However, I witness or hear from parents…
*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on TechInsider. Snapchat was built on the appeal of photos and messages that expire and disappear. But in April of this year, the app evolved to include a new revamped messaging system that’s way more powerful than texting. Now, it’s become a core means of communication for some…