Our 6 year old’s quirky song of choice made me reflect on how we should live life like a disco ball. Enjoying music together with T is one thing I cherish in our relationship. For a long time, all he listened to was Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” I went on a recent binge ofContinue reading “Your Disco Needs You”
Category Archives: FASD
Coming Out… Again and Again
I came out in my teen years. Decades later, I am coming out again as a special needs parent. As the world celebrates Pride Month and the importance of inclusion, love and tolerance, I am thankful for living in a part of the world that is, for the most part, progressive and inclusive. I cameContinue reading “Coming Out… Again and Again”
Castles in the Sand
A day at the beach reminded me that childhood flies by like sand rushing through an hourglass. A colleague once told me, when the hubby and I first adopted T, to enjoy T’s childhood because it will go by quickly. I recently noticed that T has been staying in his bed throughout the night withoutContinue reading “Castles in the Sand”
Beach Day at Home
The best laid plans did not go as planned – and it ended up just fine. Our City got a scorching weekend, our first real taste of summer, with two sunny days in the 30s. I had planned for the family to go to the Bluffs, one of our favourite parts of the City, withContinue reading “Beach Day at Home”
Teaching Kids About Money and Valuing Things
When T indirectly broke my tablet’s power adapter, he said non-chalantly, “Just get a new one.” “And where do you think the money is going to come from?” I asked him. Without flinching, he said, “I’ll open the pig’s bum,” referring to his piggy bank. Yes, a power adapter wasn’t super expensive. But it didContinue reading “Teaching Kids About Money and Valuing Things”
The Odd Duck
You often need to look no further than to nature for a little perspective. T and I went for a late morning walk to enjoy the sun, fresh air, and to get out of the house. Outdoor spaces have been a lifesaver during this pandemic. On some days, the thought of outdoor time is whatContinue reading “The Odd Duck”
Moo Moo and Crab
Say hello to our T’s adopted children. T has never played much with stuffed animals when he was younger. But at age 6, they join him everywhere. He started taking his kids to the car to sit with him for the drive to and from school (when they were open!), to sleep with him, andContinue reading “Moo Moo and Crab”
The Power of Having Someone Believe in You
An understanding, accommodating and compassionate teacher is a true blessing. We have been so lucky that T has had amazing supports in his junior and now senior kindergarten years. There are ongoing struggles, especially in the daily hell of virtual learning. But we are taking it a day at a time. Gym class has alwaysContinue reading “The Power of Having Someone Believe in You”
5 Years
Cherry blossoms are a beautiful reminder to live in the present. The cherry tree in our yard is in bloom and we’re gonna enjoy their beauty for the week or so that we have them this and every Spring. They remind me that lovely moments in life are often fleeting and so we should enjoyContinue reading “5 Years”
A Bouquet of Dandelions
The beauty of one’s actions lies in their intentions. One often views dandelions as pesky weeds. The hubby spends at least one weekend each Spring digging them up from our yard. But viewed through the eyes of a curious six year old, they offer an often overlooked beauty. Our world has contracted once again thanksContinue reading “A Bouquet of Dandelions”
“When I Feel Angry”
Team T have been trying different strategies to help our sweet boy process his emotions. Emotional regulation is often a challenge for children with T’s prognosis – at-risk FASD. We experience a full spectrum of emotions, from happy, sweet, caring to explosive moments. The hardest moments are those when he is set off in theContinue reading ““When I Feel Angry””
When Kids Feel Sad
The best and worst parts of being a parent is feeling your child’s emotional highs and lows. Little children carry big emotions that they often do not yet have the life experience to process. When T has a super high, excited or proud moment, we all celebrate together. On the flip side, we’re in theContinue reading “When Kids Feel Sad”
The Road Not Taken
We celebrated my 40th birthday this week and I reflected on what’s happened and the what ifs. T and I recently read a picture book adaptation of Robert Frost’s classic poem “The Road Not Taken,” beautifully illustrated by Vivian Mineker. The poem presents the character, out for a walk in the woods, with a forkContinue reading “The Road Not Taken”
Three Wishes
If a genie gave us an opportunity, would we wish away our child’s invisible disability? I thought about this question all weekend after T and I watched Disney’s Aladdin. On Saturday morning, with a bowl of popcorn, we snuggled on the couch and watched the movie T had recently enjoyed in class. I chuckled whenContinue reading “Three Wishes”
Reading Award
A thoughtful gesture of recognition brought a wonderful moment of confidence for our T. In addition to his handwriting skills, Team T at school and at home are working hard with him on reading. Reading with T, especially at bedtime, has been a favourite activity since he was a toddler. So many wonderful stories readContinue reading “Reading Award”
Dreaming Of Summer Roadtrips
For our first roadtrip with an 18-months-old T, we naively thought we’d do a 15-hour overnight drive to New Brunswick. After a day at work, we headed off at 8 pm. That was how the hubby and I used to roll. We did the long drive to his parents’ cottage overnight, taking turns, drinking lotsContinue reading “Dreaming Of Summer Roadtrips”
Making Positive Parenting Work For Our Family
One time, after I responded to T’s tantrum in not-the-most dignified way, the hubby asked, “So how’s that positive parenting going?” As I chopped vegetables, I told him to leave the kitchen or I was positively going to stab him. There are countless resources that describe positive parenting in great detail. I like Kars4Kids’ Parenting’sContinue reading “Making Positive Parenting Work For Our Family”
Handwriting Without Tears
If there was an award for false advertising, I’d give it to this web app that claims to teach kids how to write with pure ease. Handwriting Without Tears was one of the tools that was part of T’s junior kindergarten virtual schooling last Spring. Cute lessons and activities allowed kids to practice handwriting byContinue reading “Handwriting Without Tears”
What Our Explosive Child Teaches Us About Love
After breakfast, I handed T a heart-shaped box of Smarties and asked him to be my Valentine. To me, Valentine’s is about celebrating love in all its forms, including love between family. How fitting then that this year’s Valentine’s is sharing a double billing with Family Day long weekend in Canada. This weekend has soContinue reading “What Our Explosive Child Teaches Us About Love”
How We Barely Survived Our Second Run of Virtual Schooling
T goes back to school next week, bringing to an end our second run of virtual schooling hell. The last six weeks were so incredibly hard, further amplified by other challenges like Ma’s unexpected health issue. Meltdowns, daily battles, frustration with getting T to sit and focus, embarrassing moments of T throwing a fit whileContinue reading “How We Barely Survived Our Second Run of Virtual Schooling”