My Daughter: Beautiful, Complicated, and Imperfectly Perfect
Though she is present in every essay I write, I have yet to describe my youngest daughter in all of her beautiful, complicated glory. My...
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A BLOG FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DIFFERENCES, DISABILITIES, AND DIAGNOSES
Caregiver Burnout
Something went wrong in the middle of spring. With little provocation, I began snapping at my loved ones. My body started dragging and my...
The Time My Writing Failed Disability Sensitivity Checks
Advise you to be careful about this portrayal of disability. Would not necessarily pass sensitivity checks. Could fall into the...
Mental Energy: A Precious but Finite Resource
Mental energy. Cognitive load. Emotional bandwidth. Whatever we call it, we all have a certain amount we expend each day. And when that...
How Employers Can Help Special Needs Parent Employees
Did you know that forty percent of special needs parents quit the workforce to care for their children? I certainly didn’t—until it...
Diverse Disability Communities and Their Differing Worldviews
The world of disabilities is often held up as an example of diversity, but sometimes I wonder how often the people citing this example...
Advocacy: How We Help Our Loved Ones Live Their Best Lives
It should come as no surprise that advocacy is a large part of special needs parenting. More times than I can count, I have had to fight...
Depression and Special Needs Parenting
Many special needs parents battle unspeakable things under unimaginable amounts of pressure. It’s no wonder we sometimes suffer from...
Government Support: Families Receiving Help for Their Special Needs Children
I don’t believe in making my blog a political site. I want all people with all views to feel welcome here. However, government...
My List of Hopeful Things: Part II
A few weeks ago, I posted the first installment of my list of hopeful things. It is meant for everyone to enjoy, but particularly...
Common Phrases: Are the Things We All Say About Special Needs Parenting Really Helpful?
“We are so blessed to have her in our lives.” “It’s a privilege to care for her.” “I wouldn’t trade her for the world.” “I wouldn’t...
(In)Visibility: How My Daughter and I Can Be Both Highly Visible and Completely Overlooked
The world of special needs parenting is full of paradoxes. One of the most unexpected is how we and our children can both be highly...
Numbers: Parenting Children with Disabilities, By the Numbers
I am a words person. Given a choice, I’ll always show a preference for language and vocabulary over math. But numbers are inescapable,...
Who Is She?
Most parents of a four-year-old know a good deal about their child—everything from favorite colors and television characters to...
Strength: The different ways special needs parents show how strong they are
“I don’t know how you do it.” “I can’t imagine.” “Your child is so lucky to have you.” “You’re so strong.” As parents of children with...
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