A Good and Perfect Gift Turns 15: How Our Down Syndrome Story Still Offers Hope
Penny in 2011 with a copy of A Good and Perfect Gift Penny and I walked into a local clothing store over the weekend, and a woman stopped us and…
Why We Shouldn’t Wait to Celebrate Joy: Disability and Family Life
One of my favorite moments at Hope Heals Camp happens at the banquet Thursday evening. After days of being together, we all gather for a meal where we start with…
What to Do When Parenting Feels Overwhelming: Take One Next Step and Ask for Help
I’ve taken to calling it my whiteboard of shame. When Penny was a toddler, and we had four therapists coming to the house on a weekly basis, I kept a…
What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To: August 2026
TV Series: The Bear We finished the fourth and final season of The Bear. It wasn’t my favorite season, but I will say I deeply appreciate this show’s refusal to…
Be Unapologetically Impatient: Disability + Parenting • Christina Cipriano, PhD
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST E26 — When your child needs support now, “just wait” isn’t good enough. Chris Cipriano, mom and developmental psychologist, helps parents of children with disabilities…
The Necessary Untethering: Learning to Let Go as Our Children Grow Up
In the past two weeks, William turned 18, applied for his first credit card, and registered for a language immersion program in Spain that starts in January. (He’s doing a…
Your Family Matters • A New Season of Take the Next Step!
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST Trailer — Parenting a child with a disability can feel overwhelming, isolating, and uncertain, but you don’t have to figure it out alone. Take the…
Back to School With a Child With a Disability: 5 Ways to Prepare for a Year of Belonging
I remember, when Penny was younger, how the new school year could bring excitement, uncertainty, and a whole lot of questions. If you’re parenting a child with a disability, you…
Photo credit: Becca Cruz
Party at Hope Heals Camp
One of the most fun—and utterly nerve-wracking—parts of Hope Heals Camp this year was writing and performing a song with Penny for the Talent Show. She’s been up on that…
The Truest Truth: What Hope Heals Camp Reveals About the Real World
I always return from Hope Heals Camp and struggle to convey our experience in words. I walk away with all sorts of stories, and I will share some of those in the…
