Those beautiful eyes. That radiant smile. Hers could be his and as I stare at the photo of Mikaela Lynch, a beautiful little girl with autism who wandered from her family home on Mother’s Day last year and lost her life in a creek nearby, I think of all the near misses we’ve had with…
Advocacy and Asshats
Sometimes, I’m tired. Sometimes, there are days when I don’t want to put on my big girl panties and my Cloak of Advocacy (which, if you must know, is made of the softest velvet and the perfect shade of green to accentuate my eyes) and go out into the real world and shake my fist…
For a Second I Forgot Just How Different They Really Are
Yesterday I took my younger son Ian to a doctor’s appointment. I arrived early, knowing I was going to be subjected to a stack of paperwork that would take me ages to fill out. Except it didn’t: I forget sometimes. I forget just how vastly different the lives of my two sons are. I mean,…
Disneyland Guest Assistance Passes Not a “Perk”
Our special needs son Andrew loves Disneyland; but that’s not what makes him unique. After all, you’d be hard pressed to find a child that doesn’t dream of spending day in and day out at the world’s most famous amusement park. What does make Andrew unique, however, is that unlike many other children his age,…
Why My Best Friend’s Daughter Made Me Cry
It’s not a conversation you expect to have with a 2nd grader. I was in the car the other day with my son Andrew, and my best friend’s daughter, Berkeley (yeah, like the school). We were in the McDonald’s drive-thru (hey, I don’t just want my kids to be unhealthy) when Berkeley spoke up from…