Special Needs Archives - Page 12 of 22

Precocious Puberty?!

Feb 05 2014

My friend wrote this thoughtful post about our responsibility as mature adults to talk to our kids about…ahem, you know, the birds and the bees. (Hello 1957.) She’s absolutely right. Whether our children are educated in these matters at school or home, we need to provide them with the facts necessary for them to make safe and healthy choices—for their bodies and for their tender hearts. I remember the “talk” when I was growing up. Back then these awkward talks were isolated moments in time. Instead of slowly doling out the details as our children mature, giving them age appropriate info as needed, our parents sat us down at the age of eleven-ish and dumped the facts of life into our laps. My mum did a great job. She sat me down in our kitchen and told me what to expect as I developed. I didn’t make eye contact as she explained about a garden and some kind of complicated seed planting situation. Despite the Better Homes and (lady) Gardens metaphor, I understood. I also felt reasonably comfortable going to my mum during my teen years with questions. Luckily, I didn’t have many that couldn’t be answered by my[…]

Jan 09 2014

I fell head over heels for each of my children instantly. When my son met his baby sister for the first time, he stroked her downy soft hair and vowed to always take care of her. Sure, they may tease and squabble and possibly bite leaving behind little teeth marks, but mostly they are faithful friends. I thought I couldn’t possibly love them more until the day when the ambulance came. My youngest needed help and my oldest child, blurred out of sight, was brought back into focus with the words, “Mummy, don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Just please, please let her be okay.” Standing with his back pressed firmly against the wall out of the way of the paramedics, I warned him about the mad rush of people who would be coming any minute, and cautioned him to stay out of their way. He was holding his sister’s pink bear, which he later handed me to bring along to the hospital. I knew in that moment, that he loves his sister as much as I love them both, and my heart ached under the weight of that realization. My son has loved his sister from the moment[…]

Dec 03 2013

Today is International Persons with a Disability Day. I’d never actually heard of it until it popped into my Twitter stream. It seems there are “DAYS” of recognition for everything now—like “Wear Brown Shoes Day” (coming up tomorrow in case you’re interested), There’s also: Ninja Day Learn Your Name In Morse Code Day Battery Day (sounds like a great opportunity to relax and recharge) Cat Herder’s Day (otherwise known as parenting small children day) Pigs In A Blanket Day (assuming they mean the food, not “let your Guinea Pig sleep with you”) Talk Liketh Shakespeare Day Hug A Plumber Day (Just don’t get cheeky with their, you know, bum crack) Bird Day—Reminds me, I need to send a pigeon a Happy Bird Day card… And there many other obscure and silly days that completely make my day. In case you think I’m making these up, the entire calendar of DAYS is right here. I don’t know who came up with Disability Day. Is it even real? It certainly is for our family as we “celebrate”and embrace diversity every day. Disability Day, recognized by the United Nations, was established to help break barriers and open doors in hopes of creating[…]

Nov 15 2013

Sometimes she’s here — fully present, eyes filled with light. Other times she’s gone — eyes vacant, staring off at some unseen point. Unseen by us, anyway. Where does she go when she disappears? Is she daydreaming or processing something new; filing experiences away for later? Or is her mind quietly resting after performing a taxing challenge? The moments when her eyes lock onto mine and I know she’s completely with me, are happening more and more these days. It’s a beautiful thing. So when she brought home her school photo this year, I had to have it. This is one of the first photos where she truly connects with the camera and she’s smiling with her eyes. And like I said, it’s a beautiful thing. 🙂

Nov 07 2013

My daughter is seven and she’s never had a haircut. Not really. Her aunt gave her a trim one summer, but other than that, no snippy snippy. And no, she’s not all Rapunzel with hair past her waist. It falls just below her shoulders in baby fine waves. It’s beautiful and I’m in no rush to cut it. She was virtually bald when she was born. Her peach fuzz head was a surprise after her brother’s shock of thick black spiky baby hair. Her hair took years to grow even past her ears. Yesterday I took my son to the barber to tame his unruly mop. Usually his dad takes him, but after coming home last time with a mullet I thought it best to go to offer some guidelines. Avery came along and watched as her brother got spritzed and said, “It’s mine turn next. I so excited!” Oh dear. Now what? After she asked me several (28) more times if it was her turn yet, I asked the barber if they cut girl’s hair. He suggested I ask Joe the owner. This is an old school Italian barber shop. I was the only woman in the place and[…]

Category - Special Needs

Precocious Puberty?!

Brothers and Sisters—special needs

Happy Disability Day?

In Her Eyes

Her First Haircut