Today I am home with a sick child. My complex, disabled, and now ill child. I started the day annoyed that I had to miss work. I have only been back to work (barely part-time) a few...
Thanksgiving
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caregivers Archive
Standing Strong Yet Weary….
Cody is in a man’s body with the mind of a child. His body is growing faster than his mind and there are many challenges that come with that. Cody had a huge tantrum last night. Tantrum not meltdown...
Enough Is Enough
From the minute you become a parent, the overwhelming fear and concern sets in. You constantly question whether every choice or decision you make on your child’s behalf is the right one. When your...
Here We Go Again: How One Family Works in Shifts to Achieve Minimal Sleep
“This photo is what we aim for — a happy, calm, contented Josh — the snapshot that we choose to share, but the everyday reality is far from this picture.” Here we go again, I say to myself, trying...
Insight on Autism
Written By: Amy Schlueter A couple months ago I wrote here about Alex and empathy. How it’s starting to emerge more. But it’s definitely a work in progress. Case in point…… Last week I had the...
I Feel Myself Slowly Deteriorating
As written by Melissa Gill from her blog page @My Journey With Jackson I honestly never realized how coping with Jackson’s extreme needs would affect me physically. I had read about the effects from...
A Holy Shift
I descended the stairs, immediately irritated by what was awaiting me with each scream originating from my 15-year-old son. Great, I muttered as the uninvited stench rose to greet my nose. Luke, my...
Holy Work
“This is holy work,” I begrudgingly reminded myself a day after returning home from a much needed vacation; a week of relaxation, sun, and reconnecting with my husband, and here I was now, again,...
Manna for the Moment
Luke has been back in school for about a week now. Experts claim that special needs caretakers often experience PTSD, and I particularly notice this tendency when I don’t have him on my radar for an...
Luke’s Brain
I often struggle to understand or explain Luke’s thought process to others. Luke, my 15 year old primarily non-verbal son with profound special needs. Friends, bystanders or even specialists will...
MOM! Don’t Bring Luke!
A few weeks ago, on a particularly warm summer day, Ryan and I announced to our crew – Kids! You’ve been so helpful lately and did your chores without complaining so we’re going to have a family fun...
Why You Should Care About Children With Special Needs
It can be difficult to understand the complexities of raising a special needs child if this calling is not part of your daily reality. I get it. I never gave these children nor their caretakers a...