Penny’s Senior Night as a Cheerleader
If you had told me when she was born that our daughter with Down syndrome would be a Varsity cheerleader at our local high school, I don’t think I would…
If you had told me when she was born that our daughter with Down syndrome would be a Varsity cheerleader at our local high school, I don’t think I would…
How should I talk with my typically-developing kids about a brother or sister who has a disability? As the mother of an 18-year-old with Down syndrome with two younger siblings…
If you are a parent who has recently received a hard diagnosis about your child, I have three thoughts that I want to offer. One, feel your feelings. When we…
Last week, everything fell apart. Marilee got Covid, which came with a fever approaching 105. The car broke down and needed to be taken in for a two-day repair an…
For the moms who feel like they aren’t doing enough to help their kids (with disabilities) move toward independence, here are a few things I’ve learned: “Not enough” is never…
Sometimes the future comes at us like an assault. A tornado of unanswerable questions that suggest chaos is about to ensue. That’s what it felt like when Penny was diagnosed…
It’s a big deal to turn 18. For every teenager, that birthday marks a transition to adulthood. For kids with disabilities, it carries even more weight, especially as it connects…
I didn't realize I’d gone into the hospital with a set of expectations, but I had. I very much had a set of expectations about who our child would be…
One of the things they tell you when you're a parent of a child with disabilities is that the bureaucracy is going to be awful. I thought it would be.…
Penny requested a song on the occasion of her 18th birthday. She also gave us instructions on the tune—we could refer to You Belong With Me or Our Song by…