A Mom's Life

Transitions can be hard for kids with special needs, making the back-to-school schedule particularly challenging for them and their families. Here are some tips for making that transition, and first few months of the fall, easier for everyone. Map out a Schedule and Reduce Anxiety While no kid wants to start talking about going back to school when he or she is still enjoying their summer vacation, it’s important to reduce anxiety by starting to talk about what the back-to-school schedule is going to look like. While this could mean creating a visual schedule or developing a calendar, it’s important to talk with your child about what the back-to-school schedule is going to look like, including wake up time, what happens during the day, after school, right up until bedtime. Developing a schedule can hopefully alleviate some of your child's stress about what to expect during the transition and can also open up a dialogue for what questions and concerns your child has. Have your chil...

I asked you if I was smart enough. I asked you if I was pretty enough. I asked you if I was funny enough. I asked you if I was serious enough. I asked you if I was quiet enough. I asked you if I was loud enough. I asked you if I was enough. I asked if my hair was right, my clothes, and the music I listen to. I asked if you liked my friends and my family. I asked if you liked my laugh and my sense of humor. I asked if I did this right and I asked if I did that right. For years, you never answered me and I took your silence as reproach. I told you I could do better next time if I just knew what better meant to you. Then, one day, I stopped asking you these questions and I started asking them of myself. I was surprised to learn my answer was yes. Then, I decided to flip the narrative. I asked myself if you were smart enough. I asked myself if you were pretty enough. I asked myself if you were funny enough. I asked myself if you were serious enough. I asked myself if y...

When you are pregnant, there’s so much to think about when considering the future: what color to paint the nursery, what decorating scheme to select from Pottery Barn, whether to go with disposable or reusable diapers, what to name your little nugget, and even deciding to use a cake or a box of balloons for the gender reveal party. You quickly learn that, if you share any of these decisions with anyone, you are bound to get opinions- lots of them. And, while this isn’t the first time we get solicited or unsolicited advice (where to go to college, what to choose as a major, what profession to pursue, who to date, who to marry, what dress to wear to the wedding, who to invite to the wedding, what type of alcohol to serve at the wedding..) the birth of a child seems like the first time that SO MANY opinions are given. It’s already a time of anxiety and unknowns that the opinions of others can easily feel overwhelming. What, I should have gotten the rocker that swings from side to side in...