Embracing Our Common Humanity
I’ve recently adopted “embracing our common humanity” as my shorthand for what I am attempting to do with my writing and speaking. If you look back through my blog you…
5 Things I Wish I Had Known when Our Daughter Was Diagnosed with Down Syndrome
On December 30th, 2005, our firstborn daughter came into the world. It was an easy delivery—a little early, but not premature, no signs of distress or trouble, just a shock…
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.…
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…
10 Tips for Raising a Cool Kid with Down Syndrome (even if you’re a nerdy parent like me)
By Guest Contributor Stephanie Meredith A note from Amy Julia: I am grateful for Stephanie Meredith for all sorts of reasons. One, she's the force behind the Lettercase booklets that…
How to Talk with Your Children (and Friends) about Faith Pt. 1
“I’m just not interested in the Bible,” Penny said a few weeks ago. “I will never understand how evolution and creation can both be true,” William has told me more…
The Bad News About Changing the World
I visited the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA with William and Marilee last week. The whole museum is terrific (yes, especially for kids but I really enjoyed it too), with…
Photo: Phil Dutton
I graduated from Princeton, but my daughter taught me what matters | Hartford Courant
I wrote a piece for the Hartford Courant connecting the recent college admission cheating scandal, education, expectations, privilege, disability, and Down syndrome in honor of World Down Syndrome Day, March…
Eight Ideas to Help Your Child Develop a Love of Reading
Here are 8 ideas for how to help your child enjoy reading more than they do right now. (Lots of people asked me how Penny became such a strong…
