I knew life wouldn't be easy. My parents taught me that at a young age. They prepared me as best they could for life by teaching me lessons that I put into use every day. My mom taught me how to take care of a family, cook on a budget, and keep house. My dad taught me to take pride in what I do, to do things right the first time, and to finish what I start. I learned patience, diligence, and tenacity as I grew up on eighteen acres in the country. I learned to work hard in everything I did and my desire for perfection drove me on through challenges and adversity.
Even though I grew up knowing life wouldn't be easy or fair, I still didn't know life could be like this. I mean, where in the annals of literature was it ever suggested that life could be this way, this hard, this exhausting, this confusing? I have the pleasure of being the mother of three special-needs children. I have two in the Autism Spectrum and one that was born with a form of Spina Bifida. Each child is a blessing and each child teaches me something new every day. Along with the joy my children bring to each day comes the physical, mental, and emotional challenges.
No one ever explained to me that life could be this complicated. No one ever told me how fulfilling it could be raising special-needs children, either. We celebrate milestones other parents take for granted. We get excited at prolonged eye contact and repeated interactions. We dance a jig when some abstract concept is understood or body language is interpreted correctly. We dance a 'Potty Dance' when our daughter with Spina Bifida is able to go potty, which does not happen often.
I have been struck with the realization that parents like me need someone to identify with; somewhere to go where you can see that another parent struggles with the same things you do. I'm hoping that, through this blog, you will see that you aren't alone in the wide and uncertain world that special-needs parents live in. I hope that in sharing some of our incidents with you that you might find a reason to laugh.
Please check out our new page titled, "Stephanie's Helpful Hints," where I share some things I have found to work in regards to issues that come up with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder.
Have a great day!
Even though I grew up knowing life wouldn't be easy or fair, I still didn't know life could be like this. I mean, where in the annals of literature was it ever suggested that life could be this way, this hard, this exhausting, this confusing? I have the pleasure of being the mother of three special-needs children. I have two in the Autism Spectrum and one that was born with a form of Spina Bifida. Each child is a blessing and each child teaches me something new every day. Along with the joy my children bring to each day comes the physical, mental, and emotional challenges.
No one ever explained to me that life could be this complicated. No one ever told me how fulfilling it could be raising special-needs children, either. We celebrate milestones other parents take for granted. We get excited at prolonged eye contact and repeated interactions. We dance a jig when some abstract concept is understood or body language is interpreted correctly. We dance a 'Potty Dance' when our daughter with Spina Bifida is able to go potty, which does not happen often.
I have been struck with the realization that parents like me need someone to identify with; somewhere to go where you can see that another parent struggles with the same things you do. I'm hoping that, through this blog, you will see that you aren't alone in the wide and uncertain world that special-needs parents live in. I hope that in sharing some of our incidents with you that you might find a reason to laugh.
Please check out our new page titled, "Stephanie's Helpful Hints," where I share some things I have found to work in regards to issues that come up with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder.
Have a great day!
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