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Tag Archives: Family
Fun at the Hardware Store
I wonder at times how my assumptions and fears hold Katie back. I say this because every time a situation or a therapist has challenged me to increase the demands on Katie, she has sailed past my expectations without a … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Autism, Behavioral Issues, Expectations, Family, Fear, Generalization, Milestones, Sensory Integration, Single Parent, Unplanned Life
3 Comments
Sometimes the Truth is Stranger Than Fiction, Part 1
I have been a very bad blogger. I didn’t intend to take the summer off (plus a good part of the fall as well), but in the end, that’s exactly what I did. Katie and I were busy enjoying the … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Advocacy, Autism, Behavioral Issues, Family, IEPs, Milestones, Single Parent, Social skills, Special Needs, Suspension, Transitions, Unplanned Life
8 Comments
A Mother’s Day Tradition, Part 2
Here’s what actually happened on Mother’s Day. Katie and I slept in, and then spent a quiet morning with her watching Signing Time (sign language/speech videos that she loves) and me writing on my laptop at the kitchen table. The … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Acceptance, Autism, Expectations, Family, Gratitude, Holidays, Single Parent, Unplanned Life
7 Comments
A Mother’s Day Tradition
Back when I was a child, Mother’s Day meant all three, and then four, of us kids “helping” Dad with breakfast. Our usual Sunday morning fare was fried or scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and Sarah Lee Honey Buns—which if … Continue reading
Posted in Adoption, Autism, My Life
Tagged Acceptance, Adoption, Autism, Divorce, Expectations, Family, Gratitude, Holidays, Resentment, Single Parent, Unplanned Life
5 Comments
There’s No Daddy Here
A year or so ago, my daughter Katie noticed that her family looked different. She was doing a class project that involved identifying family members. Her drawing included the two of us plus Max the cat and Delta the dog. … Continue reading
Posted in Adoption, Autism, My Life
Tagged Adoption, Autism, Divorce, Family, Fathers, Milestones, Parenting, Single Parent, Unplanned Life
2 Comments
Excuse Me While I Rant a Bit About the Media and Adoption
Why do the media feel compelled to point out when a child is adopted? It’s never Sandra Bullock and her son. It’s always Sandra Bullock and her adopted son, Louis. The articles specify which of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s … Continue reading
Posted in Adoption, My Life
Tagged Adoption, Angelina Jolie, Family, Infertility, Media, Nicole Kidman, Parenting, Sandra Bullock, Surrogate
7 Comments
One Thing I Hear Constantly
One thing I hear constantly as a single parent of an autistic child: Wow, I don’t know how you manage. I don’t think I could do it. I suspect these people mean well, that they are trying to give me … Continue reading
Posted in Adoption, Autism, My Life
Tagged Abandonment, Acceptance, Adoption, Autism, Dating, Divorce, Family, Single Parent, Unplanned Life
7 Comments
Will the Real Parent Please Stand Up
Open adoption is a subject people find endlessly fascinating. Whenever I mention that my daughter and I visit her birthparents, as we did about a week ago, strangers will gape in amazement. “You actually know them?” they gasp. “The real … Continue reading
Posted in Adoption, My Life
Tagged Adoption, Endometriosis, Family, Open Adoption, Parenting, Unplanned Life
6 Comments
Questions
I wrote last week that I have fallow periods in my writing life. I think the same is true with my daughter Katie. Sometimes she has fallow periods where nothing seems to be happening, and then BAM, she makes a … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Advocacy, Autism, Family, IEPs, Milestones, Speech Delay, Unplanned Life
4 Comments
A Shot of Kirsch and a Pot of Bubbling Cheese
One of my oldest friends recently gave me the recipe for her grandmother’s SPANISH enchiladas. She warned me they were not like “typical” enchiladas. I was stunned when I reviewed the recipe. No meat. Lots of olives and lard. No … Continue reading