I have recently gotten back in the pool (after a year 😅) thanks to our friend, Dawn, taking great care of Wil after school and honing in on his life skills learning. While I swam Monday, Dawn’s husband came over to have a guitar jam session with Wil 🎸 When you have a dependent child, … Continue reading Independence Takes a Village with Dependent Children
Paradoxical Path
A singular new word Wil calmly adds to his vocabulary, in a such a way that only I — or his closest educators — would hear stands out like a stacatto flashing me back in time to a movie reel loop when he was 5 or 7 or 10, working a skill on a repeat … Continue reading Paradoxical Path
An Ornamental Moment
Wil loves putting ornaments on the Christmas tree. Using his fine motor skills has always been a challenge for him; especially pinching. As you can imagine, placing ornaments with loops on top gets tiresome quickly for Wil — but Wil always finds a way. When his pinching fingers are worn out, he puts the ornament … Continue reading An Ornamental Moment
Wil Rode the School Bus Today!
Wil rode the school bus today. In this house we take no such statements for granted. In middle school, Wil riding the bus proved unsuccessful. He was already having a hard time transitioning to a new school with new educators and hormones were in full effect. The middle school years are challenging; then add in … Continue reading Wil Rode the School Bus Today!
Wild Cards & Wild Hairs
Picture day was today. Last night Wil took a shower in preparation, and spent extra time choosing a shampoo. I heard him talking to himself as he smelled each one. “Ewww! Too strong. Hmmm, this is old. Mmmm, smells good.” With his sisters gone to college, Wil can safely use what they’ve left behind without … Continue reading Wild Cards & Wild Hairs
Firmly Rooted
This Monday there was not a 7 minute standoff success story as I shared last Monday. In fact, after 20 minutes I remained the only one standing. After giving Wil silent time to process, there was not a hint of progress. I tried being silly. Wil loves being silly, so the tug to join my … Continue reading Firmly Rooted
The Cure
My son will not play in the NBA; my son will not invent a new vaccine. My son will not design a software program nor manage your finances. My son will not drive a car nor drive a recycling truck. But my son sang for nearly 4 hours on our drive up north without any … Continue reading The Cure
Inclusion Slam Dunk!
Wil’s paraprofessional, Kristi, told me how Wil — of his own will — went to the closet in gym class, pulled out two baskets and two balls. He proceeded to toss the balls in the baskets. His peers joined in his created game by cheering him on. Today I picked up Elizabeth, Wil and their … Continue reading Inclusion Slam Dunk!
HOW WE BEND
Today Wil and Manny went bowling. Both are teens with Down syndrome. Manny’s mom, Laura, and I share frequently about our plans, thoughts and concerns for the future. Thoughts about our boys as they age out of the school system; after friends have moved on to college, to jobs, to get married. How will our … Continue reading HOW WE BEND
Unsuspected Connections
Yesterday, checking out at the grocery store, the grocery clerk commented on the cupcakes I bought. I said the cupcakes were for my son’s classroom for his birthday. The grocery clerk asked how old my son was. I replied that he was my baby, and it was hard to believe he was already 16 years … Continue reading Unsuspected Connections