Sometimes, I get a little panicky, wondering if I am doing all I can to help each of my kids. My third child has special needs which makes his current path blurry in my mind. Will he ever read on grade level? Will he be able to sustain current friendships…
“He jumps down the stairs. He never walks or prances down our stairs. No. He thumps and jumps down the last few stairs every time,” I tell the pediatrician who has asked me what Brady does for fun inside our home. I’m sure the doctor wasn’t expecting my candid response. …
Brady was a fireman in 2017; after that Halloween, he became creative with his costume designs. “What are you going to be for Halloween this year, Brady?” his psychiatrist asks at the very end of his appointment on a mid-October day.He doesn’t answer. He’s squatted on the floor creating a…
I’m climbing into the back of my minivan so I can help my four children get buckled. I have a four-year-old, a three-year-old, an almost 2-year-old and a newborn. I tell myself you can do this. Indeed, we are almost ready to go. Before this car buckling scene, I’m helping…
“Here, my new friends gave me their phone numbers. Invite them to the climbing place for my birthday. Okay?” He gives me three crinkled up small strips of paper, all warm from being balled up in his hand. I unwrap each one as we walk home and read the kid-written…
It’s quiet and dark but it’s GO time. My oldest is now in middle school and that means we get up while everyone else is still sleeping. At 6:40am, Reagan and I walk out the door to head to the bus stop. The brisk morning air hugs our faces. I…
The door leading out to the garage opens. I know who is coming in. It’s Brady, my beautifully unique and incredibly challenging autistic child. At times, he moves like a reckless elephant. I can tell you if it is Brady coming down the stairs or not. He moves with speed…
He runs to me after only 15 minutes since arriving to a place that, in terms of sensory needs, should be a utopia for a child who loves to jump and climb. But Brady is now by my side, looking up at me. His face is distressed, and his eyes…
While eating breakfast, Brady asks, “Would a dinosaur’s dollar be as big as that door?”These are serious questions from a pensive, imaginative eater every morning at breakfast. It can be challenging to answer such left-field questions about a vast range of topics. I do my best to give serious and…
“I hope she is still on this Earth,” Brady whispers under his breath with some apprehension as we drive to the beach for the first time this summer. “Mom, is she still on this Earth?” I know exactly who he is talking about. It’s Ms. April, Brady’s 85-year-old surrogate grandma…
