Today, my daughter began Kindergarten. For the past several days, she’s expressed the typical fears and nervousness about starting at a new school with a new teacher in a new building with new friends to make and so on…. We talked about her feelings and I tried to help calm her anxiety by pointing out […]
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Back to School When School is Done
This is it, the first time in 27 years for us. A year with no back-to-school rushes, no watching for sales, no picking out school clothes or visiting several stores to find the perfect backpack. There will be no lunches to pack and no waiting for vans to arrive. My youngest graduated in May, so […]
First Day of School
It was your first day of school, and I remember being more nervous than you, and trying to hold back the tears, tears I think most moms experience when their babies go to school for the first time. But for me, that time, my tears also came from fears rooted in my past — […]
A Mother’s Rant
I hate it when someone refers to me me as “not normal.” I absolutely detest it. There is no such thing as “normal” to me. We live in a world full of different people; diversity is one of the most beautiful traits of humanity. I have seen different groups of people come together as a […]
Vacation Time at the Lake: Reflections from a Blind Mother
I have been reminded over this past week, while my family and I were at Mercer lake in Florence Oregon, how the four fundamentals in life are often taken for granted: 1) family, 2) friendship, 3) fun, and 4) fellowship. When things are still and quiet, and we are removed from our everyday busy lives, […]
What Being a Parent Means to Me
As a totally blind person who is a parent of three, an unpaid foster parent of children who regard my wife and me as their parents, a grandfather, and a host parent of almost a dozen foreign exchange students, it is difficult to put into a few short sentences what being a parent means to […]
Adventures in Parenting
My son is one of the most interesting characters I have ever met. When all the news came about regarding the “reformed” health care bill, he realized very quickly that it was unfair to his mommy and her friends. I was both sad and proud of his reaction. His ability to empathize with others never […]
Potty Training Made Easier As A Disabled Mom
Potty Training your toddler can be a daunting task for any parent, much less one who has a disability. When I started training my son during the day, I’d lead him to the bathroom every twenty to thirty minutes so there wouldn’t be the inevitable accident most parents dread. This went on until he got […]
A Party Invitation Also Invites a Change in Perspective
Typically, when my daughter receives an invitation to a party, I’m excited. I’m thrilled for her and look forward to having fun together while celebrating a special occasion, usually a birthday. Yet a birthday invitation came for a slightly older friend who was having her party at the skating rink. Now, there are several physical […]
The ADA: How Far We Have Come, Yet How Far We Still Have to Go
The ADA. Here is another view. A view you rarely hear. A view from the other side of disabled parenting. For you see those children with disabilities, they grow up and you are faced with their disability and yours in a different light. Only these days I feel do you truly see the effect of the […]