This is the start of a beautiful friendship. Last fall, T’s child and youth worker made the excellent suggestion to look into a Big Brother-style mentorship program for T. I believe in mentorship and surrounding T with positive influences is important, because making friends is hard for kids with FASD. Despite best efforts, we haveContinue reading “Big Brother”
Category Archives: growth mindset
To Teachers with Love
The influence of a great teacher is longlasting. Thanks to Mrs Smith in Grade 3, who introduced us to daily journal writing, I developed an early start to expressing myself through words. Tough but fair and kind teachers, like Mrs Ezer in high school, were whom I learned the most from. I keep it touchContinue reading “To Teachers with Love”
Cooking for the Soul: A Second Helping
In Chinese culture, we eat noodles during birthdays as it symbolizes long life. When I watch T have instant noodles or spaghetti, two of the handful of things our selective eater will have, I joke it’s my life force he’s slurping away. I often write about the importance of self care in the marathon journeyContinue reading “Cooking for the Soul: A Second Helping”
The Power of Yet
T asked the lifeguard if he could try the deep end test. It was his first-ever attempt. Would he make it? I thought about this recent outing at the community pool, as it’s goal-setting time for the school year. This year, I love how T’s teacher included the kids in the process, using the PowerContinue reading “The Power of Yet”
Fried Spam with Rice
Like many immigrant kids, I’ve experienced many “smelly weird” school lunches packed by Pa. But I loved them all and the one I looked forward to most was fried spam on a warm bed of rice. I would inhale the luncheon meat, its greasy goodness soaked up by the rice. This weekend is Pa’s deathContinue reading “Fried Spam with Rice”
Shooting Stars
Night hikes are a camping tradition and when darkness fell, we excitedly set off for the rocks. After our spontaneous sunset swim and jumping off beautiful rocks at Killbear, we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores at our campsite. T was now sugared up on s’mores and a watermelon slush from dinner. He was bouncing offContinue reading “Shooting Stars”
Catch and Release
Kids catching lobsters washed up on the beach gave me a good reminder about abundance of gratitude. On the second morning of our recent visit to T’s grandparents’ cottage, we went for a walk by the beach, an activity T enjoyed several times a day. We stumbled upon three boys carrying buckets and excitedly catchingContinue reading “Catch and Release”
Embracing His Inner Dennis the Menace
Half a year after we shared his FASD diagnosis with T, it has clicked with him. On a recent morning, T wanted to play with one of our two cats, which is often a hit or miss event. T stayed gentle and our cat finally went up to T to smell his hand then letContinue reading “Embracing His Inner Dennis the Menace”
When Training Wheels Come Off
To kick off summer, T scored his first bloody busted upper lip after a biking accident. But let’s rewind a week to the morning of the same day T marched in the Pride parade for the first time – when the hubby took him out on his bike. The bike was a gift from hisContinue reading “When Training Wheels Come Off”
Helpful Nutrition Tips for Raising Children with FASD
Garbage in, garbage out. How we nourish our body extends to our mind and spirit. With thanks to our parenting support group, the hubby and I attended a webinar with a nutritionist that works with individuals with FASD. Our 8.5 year old T is characteristically a picky eater – or as I learned through thisContinue reading “Helpful Nutrition Tips for Raising Children with FASD”
Sprint to the Finish
Friday was Track and Field Day. T crushed and won his races, including the 1500m and 800m. Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, the hubby, T and I participated in the final session of the SNAP program, which we participated in to build skills to make better choices and co-regulate with T when moments getContinue reading “Sprint to the Finish”
The Golden Spark
A single weed in a field of yellow can be magical. It’s that time in Spring when dandelions create a magical golden carpet on park fields. T and I enjoyed a nice walk on Mothers Day. The sun was shining and it was warm enough for T-shirts, shorts and crocs. “Oh my God, stop takingContinue reading “The Golden Spark”
Forever Young
Dinosaurs go extinct when they lose touch with their inner child. Raising T, a child with endless energy and a disability called FASD, can feel like I’m aging in double time – but it keeps me young. Even when I’m exhausted by T, I am amused by his imagination, as he turns our home intoContinue reading “Forever Young”
The Magical Yet
I didn’t get my driver’s license until my 30s and after failing the final road test twice. When I finally got it, it was a good reminder that some things that may seem out of reach at first may not always stay that way. As a parent of a child with FASD, I often thinkContinue reading “The Magical Yet”
Fighting Spirit
Body, mind, spirit. They are all connected and nourishing them means a stronger you. Self care is as essential as oxygen to daily life as a parent of a child with FASD. Last fall and the first few weeks of the new year drained my batteries and emptied my reserves. I did not have theContinue reading “Fighting Spirit”
Sorry
The best way to apologize is through changed behaviour. I reflected on this nugget of wisdom after last week’s session of SNAP. The hubby, T and I are halfway through the SNAP program and it’s been great so far. We’re learning behaviour intervention and co-regulation strategies and while it’s never perfect, we’re applying them withContinue reading “Sorry”
Anahera: the Hidden Angels
While waiting for our flight home, an older man with a cross necklace sat in front of us. The airport was packed and very noisy and T was overstimulated and stimming (digging hands) and eating his Pringle chips messily. We told T to stop eating and save the rest for the flight and was metContinue reading “Anahera: the Hidden Angels”
Together We Are More
I recently thought about a bedtime story called “The Bundle of Sticks” that Pa used to tell me. As this Aesop’s Fable goes, an old man gathers his 20 dysfunctional sons as he nears his death. He gives them each a stick and asks them to break it – and they each do so withContinue reading “Together We Are More”
The Skin We’re In
Being thick skinned takes work, whether it comes to parenting or Air Frying pork belly. When I cook, one of my self care routines, I find parallels with parenting a child with FASD. My cousin gifted us an Air Fryer for Christmas and it’s been amazing to make recipes on my bucket list, most recentlyContinue reading “The Skin We’re In”
Cultivating a Learning Mindset
Fostering an attitude for learning is so important. Kids with FASD face additional challenges and are often at risk of falling behind in school. This year, Grade 2, has been challenging. We’ve had numerous calls with his teacher who is struggling to manage T in the classroom. There are many factors we attribute it to,Continue reading “Cultivating a Learning Mindset”
My Life With T 