RECENT POSTS
![](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ajb-soccer-mom-1024x402.png)
I’m a soccer mom.
I have spent the past few weeks bemoaning the hours I spend in the car, driving in circles around our local landscape. Our kids play
![photo of a soccer team posing in front of fall trees with the sun setting behind them](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ajb-failing-in-front-of-the-kids-1024x402.png)
Failing in Front of the Kids
I played soccer for the first time in over 30 years on Monday. It was exactly the situation I try to avoid. Marilee’s team had
![gradient blue background with photo of Sissy Goff in a doorway with text that says Love Is Stronger Than Fear and the cover of The Worry-Free Parent](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AJB-featured-season-71560-×-628-px-sissy-goff-1024x412.png)
S7 E6 | How to Become a Worry-Free Parent with Sissy Goff, LPC-MHSP
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Anxious parents. Anxious families. Anxiety is contagious. How do I know if I’m an anxious parent? And if I am one,
![empty country road stretching towards dark clouds](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ajb-parent-guilt-childs-disability-1-1024x402.png)
What if I Feel Guilty as a Parent Because My Child Has a Disability?
What if I feel guilty as a parent because of my child’s disability? I was asked this question a few weeks ago when I was
![dark photo of fall leaves on a bridge and dark water below](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ajb-friendship-forms-durable-hope-1024x402.png)
Friendship Forms Durable Hope
What do I do? People in my family received a terminal diagnosis for their child. What do I do? A woman recently emailed me this
![Amy Julia sits in a hospital bed and hold baby William and toddler Penny](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ajb-hierarchy-of-worth-1024x402.png)
Stepping Off the Ladder of Comparison
I’ve been writing about Penny for a long time now. Along the way, I’ve often written of her accomplishments. The cuteness of hearing her pronounce
![gradient blue graphic with photo of Curt Thompson, the book cover of the. Deepest Place, and text that says Love Is Stronger than Fear with Amy Julia Becker](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1-2-1024x412.png)
S7 E5 | Finding Hope in the Dark with Curt Thompson, MD
Apple YouTube Spotify More! How do we show up for each other in the midst of pain? Is it possible to hope when we’re suffering?
![photo of Penny sitting on a patio](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ajb-penny-17-year-old-what-i-want-you-to-know-about-my-life-with-down-syndrome-1024x402.png)
Penny in Her Own Words: What I Want You to Know About My Life
What does life for a 17-year-old with Down syndrome look like? In case you’re curious, I asked Penny a few questions about her life as
![photo of the book Small Talk next to a white pillar on a porch with blurred grasses in the background](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ajb-small-talk-limitations-and-love-1024x402.png)
Small Talk Turns 9
“Limitations, properly understood, lead to love.” I don’t always live as though I believe those words. I would often like to overcome limitations rather than
![photo of Amy Julia and Penny walking down a sidewalk with the Cognoscenti logo](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ajb-cognoscenti-the-future-i-imagine-for-my-daughter-1-1024x402.png)
COGNOSCENTI | The future I imagine for my daughter
The future is uncertain. After high school, should Penny go to a community college? Will she be segregated and only socialize with peers with intellectual
![photo of Penny looking down at a wooden table and writing a list on a piece of paper](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ajb-inclusion-high-school-senior-project-1-1024x402.png)
Penny in Her Own Words: Inclusion and High School Senior Project
What does inclusion look like for a senior with Down syndrome at our local public school? Here’s one example, in her own words, from an
![painting of moms and kids walking away in an autumn woods](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ajb-friendship-comparison-judgment-1-1024x402.png)
Friendship: Judgment and Jealousy or Celebration and Compassion
I learned early on in Penny’s life that if I spent my days comparing her to other kids, I would find myself in a place
![photo looking down at Amy Julia's hands, which are holding shards of broken plates](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ajb-4-ways-to-deal-with-brokenness-1024x402.png)
4 Ways to Deal with Brokenness
The world feels shattered. Some days I feel shattered. What do we do with all our broken pieces? I’ve found that there are four ways
![gradient blue graphic with photo of Stephanie Meredith, and text that says Love Is Stronger than Fear with Amy Julia Becker](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2-3-1024x412.png)
S7 E4 | Breaking Down Bias: Prenatal Diagnoses and Comprehensive Care with Stephanie Meredith
Apple YouTube Spotify More! What happens when women receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome? How does that diagnosis affect those women and their families?
![photo of Penny sitting inside on a comfy white chair next to large windows; she is typing on a laptop](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ajb-pennys-congrats-letter-to-a-parent-1024x402.png)
Penny in Her Own Words: Dear Parent, Congrats!
This summer at Camp PALS, Penny had a chance to write a letter to a new parent of a baby with Down syndrome as a
![a photo of a desk with a laptop on top of a stack of books, a lamp, and a mic in a bedroom with the bed in the background](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ajb-podcast-set-up-1024x402.png)
Trouble with Podcasting Set-Up
Visuals are not my forte. As a result, I love podcasting. Theoretically, it only involves words. And that’s what I always tell myself until about
![photo of a hand holding the book Never Enough](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ajb-never-enough-4-1024x402.png)
Never Enough
“Not good enough.” It’s a phrase that shows up in my head uninvited, with regularity. (And yes, for those of you wondering, I am
![photo of Penny holding a tray of veggie skewers at the Po Cafe](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ajb-penny-in-her-own-words-working-at-the-po-cafe-1024x402.png)
Penny in Her Own Words: Working at The Po Cafe
Penny had a chance to work at a local cafe for a few weeks in August and on Saturdays in September. She loved every minute