In Her Own Words: Penny on Healthy Eating and Exercise
In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, I’ve asked our daughter Penny (who is 13 and has Down syndrome) to share some reflections on her life in her own words.…
Letter from Penny to a New Mother of a Baby with Down Syndrome
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month! Over the course of the next month, I’ll share my own thoughts about Down syndrome and the ways having a child with a disability…
William Becker Reviews “This is What Democracy Looks Like”
My son William is a curious and inquisitive eleven year old. He loves to learn and to discuss big ideas. I wrote a book called Small Talk a few years…
Back to School for the Becker Family – Fall 2019
We celebrated going back to school last week with a dinner out at our local tavern. I used to ask the kids pretty regularly how they've grown in their bodies,…
First Day of School: Penny Starts Eighth Grade – In Her Own Words
I always thought middle school would be the time when life for a child with Down syndrome got hard. The infant and toddler years held their share of medical challenges.…
Summer Rewind: Why We Still Go To Church
Summertime is the hardest time for us to convince our kids, and ourselves, to go to church on Sunday mornings. They want to go to the beach. They want to…
Love in the Midst of the Mess
You may be familiar with the words of 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not rude…” I…
Scary Mommy Post: When My Daughter Wanted to Quit Dance Class, We Did This Instead
So my daughter wanted to quit dance class, and I wrote about it for Scary Mommy. You may already be familiar with the Scary Mommy website and/or social media. The…
Vacation Recipe: Gazpacho
I am not a chef. I do not make complicated dishes. I repeat tried and true recipes to the point that guests will say things like, “Oh good! I really…
4 Simple Lessons to Stay Connected to Your Spouse
Peter and I have been married for 20 years this week. I am grateful in a way that words cannot convey for the ways we have grown up together. I’m…
