Tag Archives: school

I wish….

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I wish I could always protect Bridget from the mean people in this world.

I live in a bubble, to be honest.  I have a tremendous village.  Bridget has incredible people in her life that accept her for the person she is, with love. The acceptance she receives has allowed her to attend summer camps, be an active member of  the general education classroom, ride the big yellow bus like a normal kid.  I truly believe that our village has allowed Bridget to be an important part of our town, of our society and allow her a sense of being a normal kid.

Not a different one. Continue reading →

Dear Seventeen

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Dear Seventeen Magazine,

Last week I purchased your magazine for the first time in over 30 years. Let me offer my congratulations to your continued success. I am also in a kind of shock that I purchased a magazine for my teen that my mom purchased for me.  It seems that as much as the world has changed since my teenage years the more it has stayed the same within teen stardom land.

It is because the world has indeed changed that I writing to you. I bought the current issue because my teen is currently obsessed with all things Sabrina Carpenter.  This photo is how I won best mom of the day award. Continue reading →

When hope is all you have

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I received a text from Bridget’s teacher the other day. She was asking if something happened at home she should be aware. Bridget had been crying off and on all morning. They had never experienced this behavior before.

My first instinct was to respond welcome to my life. Continue reading →

We can handle the truth

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Dear Teacher and/or Educational Support Personnel,

You do a wonderful job of caring for our children. You nurture them. You hold a parent’s expectations in check. You challenge the child and keep the parents honest. Yet sometimes in your quest to be empathetic to our families, your kindness becomes a falsehood. Especially for parents whose child has a special need. You try to understand how difficult our life can be. You want us to focus on the positives, the milestones that are achieved and the goals that are finally captured.

You also lie like a rug. Continue reading →

This is an Autism Family

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A parent walks into the store, dragging her child kicking and screaming as other shoppers look on.  A sibling walks into the store and says, “next time I will babysit so you can try to get the shopping done”.

A parent answers, “What time is it” for the 500th time with patience that is waning. A sibling tries to redirect the looping by distracting them with Disney Jr.

A parent tells her other child that they cannot attend the school play, because their sibling cannot handle the lights and sounds. A sibling whispers they understand while their heart is breaking. Continue reading →

The games we play

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All parents wonder when their child will accomplish a goal.  Parents whose child has a disability play a vicious game with themselves. The game is called, “Will my child ever….”

Will my child ever roll over?
Will my child ever stand up?
Will my child ever say my name?
Will my child ever speak?
Will my child ever walk?
Will my child ever say she loves me? Continue reading →

Not my kid

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My kid would never…
My kid is “everybody’s” friend…
My kid is never mean…
My kid was provoked.

Let’s be honest, there is always going to be kids that are mean, there will always be “cliques”. There will always be the kid that doesn’t fit in and will be picked on.

We always hope it won’t be ours. If it is mine, I want to know.  Continue reading →

For the uninitiated, this is what it looks like

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I’m going to feel all lapsed-Catholic guilt for admitting this, but I sometimes despise this life. I hate that I don’t understand my own child. I despair that by my own actions I am the trigger to her crisis. I freaking loathe that this behavior doesn’t happen at school but only at home (see trigger comment).  I despise that I cannot calm her, I cannot reason with her, I cannot even give in to her because if I do this will not be a daily occurrence but an hourly one.

For the uninitiated, this is what a meltdown looks like. Continue reading →

Dear Bridget

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Dear Bridget,

Holy crap you are SEVEN years old today. TODAY. You, my love and my light, are an incredible girl.

love

This year you have done so much more than I ever expected.

You give the best hugs and have the sweetest smile.

You have the evilest laugh when you take your sister’s headband and run around the counter.

You have charmed more stickers out of the receptionist at therapy than any other child.

You are full of sass, and I mean sass. Continue reading →

Vision

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The Individualized Education Plan (IEP)—the meeting every parent looks forward to attending.  Um, not exactly. I dread the IEP meeting; I am never sure what I should be asking versus what I need to be fighting for Bridget to receive.  The IEP process is so involved. From the beginning of the process I get tripped up.  It starts with what seems to be an innocent question: my input for our vision statement. Do you realize how difficult it is to come up with a vision statement for your child’s education? Try the exercise.  Think to yourself:  the vision statement for my child’s education experience it would include…

I’m hearing crickets. Continue reading →