Tag Archives: Parenting

Guest Post: Downunder Dad on Parenting and Asperger’s

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I am grateful to have come across Ann and her lovely blog Gray Colored Glasses via a community resource website we both used while starting our separate journeys. She contributed a heart-felt article to my humble blog Downunder Dad that took my breath away, which you can read here. So the least I could do was repay the favour, right?

Well, it has not been that simple. I have been extremely apprehensive. The blog post she shared with me about parenting a child with special needs (something we discovered we had in common) would have been very personal for her to compile; I know that now. I have struggled, keen to do a decent job. I eventually came up with the post below, and an even deeper appreciation for what Ann wrote and bravely sent to me.

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“When Worry’s Feeling Big”

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At long last, here is my worry song for adults: “When Worry’s Feeling Big.”

When I posted “The Worry Song” for kids with anxiety in early October, my childhood and lifelong friend Emily commented on Facebook: “But what about adults who worry? Where’s my song?” My response: “Challenge accepted!”

By necessity, “When Worry’s Feeling Big” is a bit longer than “The Worry Song.” It’s a holistic approach to generalized anxiety (and many other ills) that includes strategies and habits we use at home and are still learning to practice. The good news is, they really work.

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My First Parent Support Group Meeting

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Parent Support Group

Last week, on Thursday, I attended my first parent support group at Isaac’s school. The timing was notable.

The two and a half weeks prior to that meeting had been a blur of sick days and struggling that culminated in a full Mom meltdown and a recognition that I need more support. (See my previous post, How Sick Days Can Make A Mom Unravel.)

And there it was, on my calendar: Thursday, November 14, 8:30-10:00, Parent Support Group. Yes, please.

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How Sick Days Can Make A Mom Unravel

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The past few weeks have thrown me for a loop, and it all started with a few sick days. Not me being sick (initially), but my son. In some ways, this is the story of any parent whose child is home from school for a few sick days in a row, maybe with a little more “intensity” than the norm. In other ways, I suspect, it’s a different story altogether.

I am the mom of two kids, one with special needs, and this post–longer than most–is a window into our life.

Going back to sick days

It all started three weeks ago yesterday, on October 28, when Isaac stayed home from school with a GI bug. No big deal, right? Happens all the time. A child missing school because he’s sick. But right from the beginning, I was reminded of our life a few short years ago, when Isaac was younger and everything was hard. I literally went back there, as someone does with PTSD.

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A Holy Nap

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Every parent of every child may argue that any nap is a holy nap. And I wouldn’t disagree. I love napping children as much as anybody. But my kids are now 11 and almost eight, which means napping is largely a thing of the past. With one exception.

Almost every Sunday, shortly after the beginning of our church service, Isaac leans to one side, puts his his feet up on the pew, his head in one of our laps, and falls asleep. I’ve come to think of it as his holy nap.

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