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Why I No Longer Buy Into Parenting Philosophies
As an expectant first-time mother,I did what every expectant first-time mother does. No,not mainline Nutella (well,yes,I did do that,but that's not what I am talking about). I read.Because… that's what good parents do,they read,right?>> Read MoreThe Unexpected Way My Daughter With Autism Embraced Her Jewish Identity
One of the duties thrust upon us as Jewish parents is to live a Jewish life so that our children may also develop a Jewish identity.I must admit that I am a failure at that most of the… time.See,I have an autistic daughter.>> Read MoreFive Ways to Reach Out to a Friend Affected by Suicide
One of the things I love and admire about Judaism is its focus on life.Judaism,unlike many other religions,is concerned more with this life than what comes in the hereafter.Judaism does provide… rituals for mourners to cling to in those dark days after a loved one dies,but beyond the first weeks or year of mourning,life resumes,and any mention of the departed one brings sympathy and comfort from those around.My dad killed himself 10 years ago.The ritual afterwards was completely different.He couldn't…>> Read More苹果beplayFacebook "Likes" Are Great,But How Can We Help Children like Colin Make Friends?
I have been watching the Happy Birthday Colin movement on 苹果beplayFacebook for the past couple of weeks.I have been both fascinated and touched by the outpouring of compassion and generosity that… seemingly millions of strangers have expressed towards Colin,a boy with special needs who has trouble making friends.After Colin told his mom not to bother with a birthday party since he doesn't have any friends,his mother,feeling awful,took to social media,built a 苹果beplayFacebook page for his birthday,and shared it,hoping…>> Read MoreWhat Happens When My Child With Autism Becomes an Adult With Autism?
My daughter is a 10-year-old living with autism.As I watch both her body and her mind grow,I am hit in many different times and many different ways that my daughter is not a little kid… anymore.Gone is the unsteady toddler on wobbly legs and the silky hair that could be washed with a washcloth.Gone is the little one who at the end of the day would cry a sea of warm tears because she was so tired,but who couldn't relax enough to fall asleep without my hand…>> Read MoreConfessions of a Fat Mom
This morning I read this piece about a woman who had a fat mother whose shame about her body changed her daughter's ideas of beauty,and not for the better.I am fat.I am fat enough… that I notice that people stare at me and avert their eyes uncomfortably when I make eye contact with them.People cast their eyes downward at me on airplanes if they realize I have to sit next to them.Believe me,I am the uncomfortable one,having to somehow fit my plus-sized form into those…>> Read MoreI Missed the Autism Early Intervention Boat & That Might Have Been a Good Thing
It's been nearly six years since my daughter was diagnosed with autism.Like many other parents who hear their children have life-long challenges ahead of them,my husband and I went through the… 七个阶段的悲伤,but I also Googled.Furiously.While I found no shortage of information,what I found by and large more than anything was that "early intervention" was key to improving the symptoms of autism (personally,I hate calling them behaviors because that makes it sound like it is something which can be…>> Read MoreI Yelled At My Autistic Daughter
My daughter had a colossal meltdown last night and I handled it badly.My patience gave way after 40 minutes of defiance and my tone went from neutral to impatient,agitated and finally,about… three-quarters of the way through,to angry.There,I said it;I yelled at my autistic daughter.I am a lousy mother,right?Who yells at their special needs kid?Apparently,I do.>> Read MoreWhen My Daughter is More Than Her Autism
When you are raising a child with special needs,it often feels like the diagnosis takes over your whole life.My daughter has autism and there isn't a day and often not an hour or a minute where… autism doesn't occupy center stage in our lives.It's there,everywhere you go,throwing up hurdles and roadblocks,preventing joy,happiness,and discovery and sending your senses into overdrive at the drop of a hat.In those brief moments that you are not dealing with it,you are likely talking someone's ear off about it…>> Read MoreSummer Vacation is No Picnic for a Child with Autism
Summer vacation is upon us.All over 苹果beplayFacebook I see statuses of parents dealing with school being out.Grateful posts about not having to pack lunches quickly turn into posts about the hassles of… shlepping kids to baseball practice or kids being underfoot saying,"I'm bored" 600 times a day and in between happy vacation photos and day trips and amusements parks.In other words,the stuff of life.Or at least the stuff of life when you are a parent.As the parent of a special needs child,…>> Read MoreThe TV Show That Brought My Family Together
The last couple of weeks,I have been surprisingly emotional over the death of actress Jean Stapleton.The television show All in the Family was a big part of my childhood and Jean Stapleton's… passing almost feels like a member of my own family has died.I know that sounds starstruck and kind of stupid,since All in the Family was a television show and not real life.Yeah,yeah,I should pick up a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird and spend my life doing something meaningful rather than watching TV.…>> Read MoreWe Can't Talk About God,We're too Busy with Autism
This post is part of our month-long series featuring different ways that parents of various religions have talked to their kids about God.A week or so ago I was contacted by one of 苹果beplayKveller's… editors telling me about their month-long series on talking to your children about God and was asked if I wanted to perhaps write a piece for it.Being the mom of a child on the autistic spectrum might add an interesting voice to the series."Sure,I'd love to." Hold on a second.I've never…>> Read MoreThere's an 80% Chance My Marriage Will End in Divorce
In our world there are statistics all around us.No where is that more true than in the world of autism.There is the whole one in 88 kids are diagnosed on the autism spectrum,which is the big… ugly,awful stat but there are loads of little stats,particularly if you start investigating treatment options,dietary options,and so forth.The one that hit me the most when my daughter was diagnosed with autism was this one: 80 percent of marriages where there is a child with autism end in divorce.>> Read MoreToday,I'm Thankful for the Other Mothers in My Life
In honor of Mother's Day,here's a touching piece about how other mothers can help relieve your constant parental worrying.As the mother of a special needs child,more often than not it's all… about the worry.Actually,parenting in general,but parenting a special needs kid in particular,is a life sentence of worry with a side of second guessing yourself.As if that wasn't enough,you also get to frequently experience disappointment for your child.>> Read MoreThe Other Kids Don't Want to Play with My Daughter
It happened again today.My daughter went outside to the playground in front of our house and within five minutes the kids that were out there headed for the hills.It's happened before,many… times.The scene usually plays out like this.My daughter looks out our front window and sees kids at the playground across the street from our house.She furiously rushes to me and asks if she can go play outside.After a good five minutes of her running around aimlessly in excitement and me running…>> Read MoreMy Autistic Daughter is Going Through Puberty
While the world of autism is talking,blogging,and arguing about Autism Awareness Month,over here we have been dealing with another kind of awareness.One in which autism,like with a lot of other… things,brings challenges,not just to Maya,but to me as her mom.Puberty.A few months ago I wrote a post about how I and everyone around me were noticing changes in my daughter and my fears about how to talk about it with her.>> Read MoreHome Delivery
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