Wil (in backwards cap) & friends To see our teenagers sit together comfortably, easily, familiarly — that was the goal many years ago when we parents joined Down Syndrome Support Team. We parents were just trying to figure out what the heck this life with an extra chromosome meant. We laughed, we cried, and we … Continue reading Creating Companions
Independence Takes a Village with Dependent Children
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
Headway
Watching Wil get his haircut today had me nearly in tears. The clippers buzzing, Wil chatting, smiling, relaxed. Years ago this sight was a distant dream. The haircut triggered my emotions, but deep down it’s about progress. It’s about feeling so desperate and on-guard with almost anything you do, because so much is a struggle … Continue reading Headway
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
Wil rode is bike to school!
https://videopress.com/v/hezs5Vyj?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Wil wanted to ride his bike to school. We live on a busy road so we agreed on him riding from a park about a mile away. He’s 17 years old so of course did NOT want me with him. We agreed I’d meet him where the sidewalk curves to the high school. It’s … Continue reading Wil rode is bike to school!
Staying Open
It happened after an event in the high school gymnasium. I don’t remember the event, but the after-scene is a moving photograph vivid in my mind. Wil approached a group of male high school peers on the gymnasium floor. At his approach, the circle broke with fist bumps, hellos, and high-fives with Wil. Two boys … Continue reading Staying Open
Steps in Time
Just 2 years ago during graduation party time I needed an eagle eye on Wil. At one party he fled the party and would not leave the front porch. At another he ran to a side street and sat in the middle of it. Yesterday, at each grad party he hung with his buddies. And … Continue reading Steps in Time
On Teenage Terms
Wil was being a full-on teenager and I was being a full-on frustrated parent of a teenager. I had prepared him for this orthodontist appointment for over a week. And he likes the orthodontist. He likes the orthodontic hygienists. He likes picking out new colored bands for his braces. The issue was not the orthodontist. … Continue reading On Teenage Terms
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 Amazing is in The Choice
There is no magic formula to acceptance of our friends with disabilities. Acceptance, in its essence, is very simple. You don’t need to be a special person. You don’t need to be born kind or compassionate or patient.You don’t need to be energetic or inspirational. You don’t need to be anything other than willing to … Continue reading The Amazing is in The Choice