The Good Life Belongs to the Ones who are Unimportant and Overlooked
A few years ago, I was seated next to a businessman from New York City at a fundraising dinner. I asked him about his summer plans, and he told me…
Penny in Her Own Words: Camp PALS 2024
Penny, can you explain Camp PALS to people who don’t know anything about it? Who is it for? Yes. Camp PALS is for young adults with Down Syndrome where they…
Creating Belonging Within Families
I wrote a few weeks ago about the difference between exclusion, tolerance, inclusion, and belonging. Generally, when I think about belonging, I’m thinking about institutional spaces. I’m wondering whether our daughter Penny, who…
Reimagining the Dream of a Family Bike Ride
(Scroll down for a great video!) Does it matter whether your child ever learns to ride a bike? Does it matter if your child never joins a family bike ride?…
Teens, Screens, and Summer
When we turn the corner to summertime, I sink into gratitude for slower days and longer evenings, for hydrangeas and peaches, for more time together as a family. I also…
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Sometimes Holidays Are Hard for Kids With Disabilities
Public Service Announcement for friends and family members: sometimes holidays are really hard for kids with disabilities. There’s the problem of sensory overload, with crowded spaces and special foods and…
Summer Reads + Life Hacks for Reading
I am one of those people who feels both peace and excitement simply in the presence of books. Independent bookstores literally help regulate my nervous system. Even the book racks…
Penny in Her Own Words: Dance and Dedication
What values are important to you? Penny recently thought about that question, and I love her answer—and that it’s connected to dance! (Scroll down to hear Penny read her answer.)…
June 2024 Favorites
I’m about to offer some thoughts on content I’ve appreciated lately (and I would love to hear the same from you—the Mia Birdsong episode mentioned below came from a reader—I…
Fear of the Future and Finding Goodness
I expected to need tissues on the day Penny finished high school. I expected a sense of deep loss, and perhaps even dread about what lies ahead. For many kids with…
