Ableism at the County Fair
Last week, I received an email from Amber, who has three kids, including Cal*, her son with a rare genetic difference. Amber is also my unbelievably talented and faithful social…
Last week, I received an email from Amber, who has three kids, including Cal*, her son with a rare genetic difference. Amber is also my unbelievably talented and faithful social…
Penny had her first day of work last week. That’s right. Work. Employment. Four hours, three days a week, at a local cafe and bakery. She made brownies and spicy…
What’s wrong with America right now? Everywhere I go, I encounter this question. Pop culture’s biggest current hit, Barbie, has one answer: patriarchy. Tim Urban’s recent book, What’s Our Problem?,…
Years ago, I wrote a piece for the Huffington Post called “Missing Out on Beautiful.” It was prompted by my realization that it was really hard to capture Penny’s true…
For seven days, our family put down our devices (here's why we did this). William found a friend to keep up his Snap streak. Marilee and Penny turned off their…
Happy 15th Birthday, William! Henri Nouwen once wrote: Birthdays need to be celebrated. I think it is more important to celebrate a birthday than a successful exam, a promotion, or…
{Keep scrolling for an update to this post.} Our whole family went to see the new Barbie movie on Friday. We loved it. I laughed so hard Penny shushed me.…
I want to tell you about every moment from Hope Heals camp. But even with all my words and stories, and even with Ashley Monogue’s gorgeous photography (montage below), and…
Having a teenager with Down syndrome puts different limits on our family than having a typical teen. She has needs that other teenagers don’t have. For example, Penny isn’t planning…
Modern people are rewarded for hard work, intelligence, athletic ability, and physical appearance. Studies have shown that people who conform to our modern Western ideals of height and what we…