Community Submission by: EllieEllie is a lawyer living in Baltimore with her husband Mark. They are parents to six year old Molly and two year old Lila, who has Lamb-Shaffer Syndrome. To follow her story, sign up for Ellie’s newsletter. To the mother of the two year old, worrying about whether to have a second baby… I see you. I see how worried you are, about having a second kid and what if that child isn’t healthy? What if they
What kind of friend am I? I am always busier these days. I have children, so I can’t do anything for myself during “normal” hours. I’ve moved three time zones from one set of friends, two from the next, and I somehow need to make new friends where I live now in the middle of a pandemic. I don’t want to be a bad friend, but the deck is stacked pretty high. I am busy, stressed out, my life consists
Community Submission by: Leslie Mehta Leslie Mehta is an attorney. She lives with her husband, Tarun, and two daughters, Brooke and Blair, in Richmond, Virginia. You can follow her advocacy journey at www.prettybrooke.com, on Facebook at pRETTy Brooke, and her YouTube channel of the same name. I met Tarun Mehta in law school. Five years and several bar exams later, we married near my small North Carolina hometown on August 11, 2007. Rarely did we discuss having children. We were
I am not going to sugar coat it. No one in this world loves my son more than me. No one in this world gets hurt by my son more than me. He pulls my hair, sometimes clumps in his hand. He kicks me, punches, and throws his body with no care forcing me to strain my muscles to the limits while also covering me in bruises. But the thing he does that has caused me the most pain and
The best advice is the advice you want to share. Let me pass on to you what someone said to me once. Someone said, “you got this, momma. Trust your momma gut!” I don’t think I was even barely a mother at that point. I, like so many other parents, was looking around for help to a problem. Let me tell you why trusting your gut is the best advice you can be given, even when you feel they aren’t
Something shameful to admit as a parent is when you feel that you have given up because you are supposed to be the hopeful fighter, and advocate, while also determined but strong and tender. The reality is much more sinister and painful since there are days when surviving is all you can do. At least that is how it feels for me. There are moments when I feel so beaten down that I wonder why we even do this. It
When I heard the word “advocate” for the first time, I assumed it was very political. I am not political, I reasoned, so therefore I couldn’t be an advocate. Yes, I vote–but running for office is not in my future (although I have learned never to say never). Little did I know that being an advocate was not limited to politics. It is so much more. It is giving a voice to the voiceless, or those who are barely heard.
Recently I read a quick read called, “10 Things That Would Make Special Needs Parent Cringe If You Knew.” I wanted to know what parents of neurotypical children would think I would be upset if they knew, and the tagline pulled me in. It was catchy, but did it reflect me? I want to learn from them As I read through the list, I couldn’t help but feel I needed to share my opinions on the topic of jealousy. I
Typical, adjective, having the distinctive qualities of a particular type of person or thing. Oxford Dictionary I use this term a lot, as many other people do when referring to the general public. I probably use it too much when I think about “if only.” I know some people do not like this term, and I don’t blame them, I don’t either. I still daydream about “if only” Some days it’s just as simple as looking at my son. His
Not long after I recorded the “Going Out” OHS Podcast episode, we decided to go to the beach as a family. Despite just talking about the very topic—how difficult it is to do family activities with Asa—I was still, somehow, unprepared. We went to a lovely, clean little beach that is a mere 45-minute drive from our home. I’m beginning this piece on my phone as I sit in my parked minivan with Asa, and this is my view. You’d
