(The moving truck arrived so there are currently giant men and 497 boxes all over my house. Jack is in a corner screaming, and the dog peed on the floor. Such is life, eh? Needless to say, I’m reposting again. I PROMISE to write new stuff next week–you know, when I can feel my legs…
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Written on
October 25, 2011 by
Laurie
It’s tough being an adoptive parent. And a parent of special needs kids. I’m both. And today reminded me of one of the most frustrating aspects of our situation: other people romanticizing it. Sitting on a counselor’s couch at a residential treatment facility where one of our girls has been for 6 weeks, life doesn’t…
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Written on
October 18, 2011 by
Laurie
I don’t like waiting. Which is kind of ironic because I’m a mom, and a mom of multiple developmentally delayed kids. For years we’ve been waiting with one of our daughters – waiting for meds to kick in, for her moods to stabilize, for her mind to find balance. At our meeting with the counselor…
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Written on
October 11, 2011 by
Laurie
Some kids just pop out of the womb self-assured and confident. Mine, not so much. Raising 2 former foster kids, assurance is like a foreign language in their minds! It’s been a huge learning process for us to figure out what works and what doesn’t in helping them find confidence in stress. And I know…
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I did it. I went to the Dark Side. All this time, I’ve been super vocal about the difference between being an advocate and being a…. well, you know. Yesterday, all that changed. (To read the whole drama, go here) I felt bad about it all day. I felt like I had worked so hard…
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Written on
August 30, 2011 by
Laurie
Ours isn’t the usual superhero story. When I brought my daughters home from foster care I anticipated grief, health issues, tantrums (they were both toddlers, after all). But I didn’t think that 7 years later, one would be healthy and well-adjusted while the other seemed to fall apart emotionally and physically in spite of interventions….
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I’ve been thinking a lot about how being a special needs parent has changed my life. Sure, there are sleepless nights, giant messes, and financial worries. Even typical parents have those problems! Yet, I have learned priceless lessons—some about me, some about the world. These…are the secrets that make this journey worth it all. 1….
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Written on
August 23, 2011 by
Laurie
My little girl is finally safe in a hospital – a mental hospital – and I’m losing my mind about it. I know some of you have kids with special needs of the neuropsychological kind, too. This post is for you. You know those moments when you wonder where God went? Because if He was…
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Written on
August 14, 2011 by
Suzanne
…”The hard part is trying to answer the questions Walker raises in my mind every time I pick him up, What is the value of a life like his — a life lived in the twilight and often in pain? What is the cost of his life to those around him? … If Walker is…
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in
Adoption,
Advocacy,
Autism Spectrum,
Cerebral Palsy,
Day In And Day Out,
Dealing With Public Perceptions,
Developmentally Delayed,
Epilepsy,
Laughing Through The Tears,
Learning Disabilities,
Me Time,
Medications and Treatment Options,
Mental Health,
Raising Awareness,
Resources,
Sensory Processing Dysfunction
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Written on
May 24, 2011 by
Laurie
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…
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