Sick and Tired, How a Single Mother of a Special Needs Child Deals with Sudden Illness… As parents, we always worry if our children get sick. That’s part of our job. We are prepared before they are even born, having been told countless stories by our parents, friends who have children and sometimes, complete strangers… Read more »
Tag Archive: First Things First
First Things First-Emotional Acceptance and Moving On by Cat Lichtenbelt
As part of the continuing First Things First Series, Cat Lichtenbelt has written this piece on “Emotional Acceptance and Moving Forward”. Enjoy: I see acceptance as coming to an agreement. It is like going to a meeting of the minds and everyone walking out on the same page with the same purpose and goals for… Read more »
First Things First-Write It Down by Jennie Linthorst
Write It Down by Jennie Linthorst: Life moves fast when you have a child with special needs. As parents, we’re constantly motivating our children child with Herculean efforts, affect, patience, problem-solving, and love, to move through another day of progress out in a world that doesn’t seem to quite understand the nuances of our days…. Read more »
First Things First-A Jaw Dropping Experience by Marla Roth-Fisch
Towards the end of summer in sunny Colorado, my entire family wanted to get one last outdoor swim in. My husband and I swam and played with the kids in the large pool, enjoying a game of keep away. As my son jumped wildly with excitement to catch the water filled sponge ball, which almost… Read more »
First Things First-Support Groups 101 by Carrie Fannin
Stanley Greenspan, the author of “The Challenging Child” (1995) had an insightful analogy to help us understand what people experience when they can not effectively process, or interpret, sensory input. He describes it this way: “Imagine driving a car that isn’t working well. When you step on the gas the car sometimes lurches forward and… Read more »
First Things First-Togetherness; A Dad’s Perspective on Marriage by Gavin Bollard
By Gavin Bollard In traditional society, mothers and fathers tend to live in completely different worlds. The home, the kids and school are all in the mother’s realm while the father is more likely to take care of bread-winning and financial matters. The working week has expanded to take in weekends and the hours of… Read more »
First Things First-Vows of Special Needs Parents by Chynna Laird
By Chynna Laird When a family has a child with tremendous needs, what we do for her can sometimes overshadow everything else, including our relationship with our significant other. Paying attention to being a couple is important not only for the emotional support and companionship but also because a strong family has a strong couple… Read more »
FTF Series~ All Showers Lead to Australia – submitted by Hartley Steiner
“Do you want to go to Australia with me?” My husband asked casually while I stood at the stove cooking the taco meat for dinner the other night. Such a ridiculous question didn’t warrant an actual verbal response, so I just looked at him out of the corner of my eye and gave a sarcastic… Read more »