One thing that keeps me up as a special needs parent is thinking about our child’s future. My workplace is developing its next multi-year strategic plan. Participating in the process made me think about T’s next few years. Any special needs parent will tell you we just want to make it to the end ofContinue reading “Futures Planning for the Neurodiverse Child”
Category Archives: growth mindset
The Joy in the Meander
Slow down, take the detours, be open to the unexpected, stay present, soak in the moment. We all end up at a finish line, so what’s the rush? It’s a valuable lesson I’ve learned as T’s parent. Our family recently helped celebrate the 18th birthday of a friend’s son. It seemed like yesterday that heContinue reading “The Joy in the Meander”
Step with the Best Foot Forward
A painful truth about being a parent of a child with FASD is the world often sees them at their worst. A parent shared this, between tears, during a recent weekly virtual FASD caregivers group and I wanted to hug her because I felt her heartache. I then thought about Mothers Day lunch with familyContinue reading “Step with the Best Foot Forward”
Keep the Faith
In 2015, the hubby and I finished our South America trip at Rio de Janeiro. It was our last solo trip before T unexpectedly came into our lives. I revisited this special city last night when Madonna completed her Celebration Tour on Copacabana Beach to a record 2 million people. We watched her show inContinue reading “Keep the Faith”
Sinking Ships, Rising Hearts
The heart does go on and on. T’s latest obsession is the Titanic, quite the step up from Paw Patrol! This was likely inspired from YouTube, as he spends lots of time watching videos about the Titanic and other famous shipwrecks. He loves to draw pictures and pretend play with great imagination about the doomedContinue reading “Sinking Ships, Rising Hearts”
Open to Feedback
Being able to receive and apply feedback, as hard as it can be to hear sometimes, is key to growth. In February, halfway past the Grade 3 school year, the hubby and I had our teacher conference with T’s teacher, CYW and the school’s special education coordinator. We discussed T’s areas for improvement: reading, writingContinue reading “Open to Feedback”
Turbulence
An overzealous adult crossed the line with our neurodiverse son and awoke the Papa Bear in me. While waiting at the airport for our early morning flight home after our March Break trip a few weeks ago, T was disregulated. He didn’t get a lot of sleep and he was short tempered, hyperactive and mouthy.Continue reading “Turbulence”
Angels in the Infield
During school lunch a few weeks ago, T proclaimed to his class he was refunding his parents. His CYW recounted to us with amusement, via text message, that T ranted out loud that he had told Daddy (the hubby) many times that he didn’t want meatballs for lunch and still got them. Due to thisContinue reading “Angels in the Infield”
The Darkest Dark
We remind our little guy that he is stronger and braver than the monsters in his head. During a recent Sunday morning, around 1:30, I was woken up by the hubby having a fit. T had turned on all the lights in the house, downstairs included, and was up playing with his toys – becauseContinue reading “The Darkest Dark”
The Writing Parlour
Helping my third grader build writing skills is like making pizza; layer one ingredient on at a time. The process sometimes feels like a struggle with a disability like FASD layered on top – but it nonetheless feels like I’m watching something special grow from infancy. It brings back fond memories of the early days,Continue reading “The Writing Parlour”
Why Stories Matter
Stories and personal testimony can inform, inspire and be a lifeline to someone. December 1 marks the fourth anniversary of this blog and my first post, introducing T’s prognosis and our family. I started my blog as a way to process my thoughts on the FASD parenting journey and to raise awareness and advocate forContinue reading “Why Stories Matter”
Big Brother
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”
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”
