2012 - Page 8 of 12 - Forever In Mom Genes

Mother of the Year

May 13 2012

When Heather lost her three year old son Zack, she didn’t stop being a mom. Though her heart was broken, Zack’s brothers needed her more than ever. So she embraced them and loved them as mothers do while she made a plan to keep a promise; the one she made to Zack and to herself as they said goodbye. She vowed to keep his memory alive and to have Elmo, Zack’s comfort and joy, speak his name. And that’s just what she did. Heather tirelessly raised money to create a room (two rooms in fact!) in Zack’s name at York Central Hospital. She also persevered until Kevin Clash (the puppeteer who IS Elmo) knew how much Zackie loved him. Kevin knows and he was touched. And Elmo did speak Zack’s name. Heather is healing with her family and she continues to tell Zack’s story, not only to keep his memory alive, but to help other families deal with the pain of losing a child.” Heather and I became friends online. We bonded over our special needs kids and soon discovered we had many other things in common. When my daughter was in hospital shortly after Zack died, Heather kept tabs on[…]

May 12 2012

Time Magazine published this story about attachment parenting. The cover showed a mom breastfeeding her three year old son and the internet lit up like the fourth of July. Obviously generating a buzz was a factor in the magazine’s choice of cover shots. Every “mom blogger” from here to Timbuktu has weighed in on this. Some cheering, some outraged, some gagging a little. This photo may not depict the serene bonding experience of breastfeeding; it was used to spark debate. But haven’t you ever fed your child on the fly? I once breastfed my daughter while shopping for a new refrigerator. I was in a rush and she was quite happy nestled under my coat. Just because we weren’t locked in a gaze of love and warmth, it doesn’t make me a bad parent. It makes me a busy, multitasking mama who was trying to stick to a feeding schedule. The first thing I noticed in this photo was the mother’s arms. “Wow, her biceps are tight,” I thought. The next thing I noticed were her shoes. “Where can I get those ballet flats?” I wondered. I’m the mother of a son who was way off the growth[…]

May 03 2012

Lucky for me my mother has strong shoulders, because I cry on them often. Learning how to raise a child with special needs has taken a toll on our family. Of course there’s been joy and plenty of laughter and an insane amount of punning (my mom = the Queen of the Punsters), but I’ve also had to lean on her. I’m a mom now, but I still need to be mothered sometimes too. Yesterday my mum turned 65. Ever young at heart, retiring from her job was not on her radar. “Retirement?” she balked, “That’s for old people.” We never feel our age, no matter how old we are. But then something inevitably happens that makes you face reality head on. Somebody close to you becomes ill, a sister perhaps, and you are reminded of the tenacity of life and you feel the need to spend time with family now because you know, life goes by too quickly. Suddenly retirement doesn’t seem quite so ridiculous. In fact, leaving a career behind in favour of time spent with loved ones becomes the only thing on your radar. And so in a few months, my mum is going to join my[…]

Apr 23 2012

Happy Easter!! A little late, admittedly. But lately blogging about parenting has taken a backseat to you know, parenting. This post is about Easter, but it’s more about imagination; that magical childhood entity that in adulthood often becomes squashed under the heavy burden of daily responsibilities. This Easter our 8 year old questioned the reality of the Easter Bunny. He found a bag of not so carefully hidden chocolates and asked, “Are you the Easter Bunny?” I denied it and hopped away in a panic. He also questioned how a giant rabbit has access to chocolate in the first place and why it’s okay for him to break into people’s houses? Fortunately my boy is still a child at heart and was willing to accept our lame excuses. So for now at least, Mr. E. Bunny lives on. On Easter Eve a certain Super Hero and his sister disappeared to the basement, aka “The Play Pit” for several hours. When asked what they were doing, we were told to wait. “Don’t come down!!!” they shrieked. When preparations were finally complete, our son and his dutiful sibling assistant treated us to an Easter Carnival. I’d never heard of this, but there[…]

Apr 14 2012

We all want our daughters to have a voice. I need my daughter to have one. I won’t always be around to speak for her – to explain to others why she may not understand, or to make her understood. Before my daughter was born, deep down I worried there was something wrong. All the prenatal testing indicated she was fine, but sometimes a mother just knows. When she was born, and I held her in my arms, I saw only perfection. I still do. We soon discovered our girl was special. In fact, she’s so unique there isn’t a name for her particular syndrome. She has come miles further than we were told she could. Her future is bright, yet shadowed by developmental and medical challenges. Our daughter doesn’t understand the rude looks or ignorant questions. A stranger’s comment about her “walking funny” results in a carefree smile. Teasing, from a neighbourhood kid earns him a giggle. One day, she will understand and feel the sting of hurtful words and actions. The most important thing I can do to prepare her is to help her to find her voice. My girl is a mess of blonde curls, big brown eyes and pouty pink lips. She’s beautiful. People want[…]

Archive - 2012

Mother of the Year

What’s The Expiry Date on Breast Is Best?

Mother Your Mother This Mother’s Day

Easter Carnival

Her Voice