Binkies and Briefcases

Race relations is not a topic I shy away from talking about here on the blog. You can see some of my other posts about it here, here, and here. During my time as an elementary school teacher, I’ve served in a few communities where I was in the minority. What those experiences taught me was how strongly my students often identified with their cultural heritages and also how extremely important it is for everyone to try to understand and empathize with various perspectives.   

For the past week or so, after having their eyes opened by the events that took place in Charlottesville, I’ve heard several people in my own community expressing feelings of helplessness. It can be easy to get overwhelmed and feel like you are only one person, so what can you really do?  [Read more…]

Maybe for a while you knew something was just a little bit “off,” but you weren’t sure exactly what that was. Parenting children with special needs can be a long, hard road and at the start it seems like you are fighting with everything you have just to figure out what is going on. Why can’t anybody give you any answers? But eventually they come. And once you finally receive a diagnosis for your child, then what? 

Some parents are still taken completely by surprise. Maybe you didn’t see it coming. Or maybe you thought it was something else. Maybe you had prepared yourself to hear ADHD, but a doctor actually said Autism. Maybe you thought you were ready to hear it, but you weren’t. Now what?

Breathe. 

Then keep a few things in mind.  [Read more…]