Sunday Digest 44...

...which I'm writing on Wednesday. Yeah...tough week. Actually I played a lot last weekend and I'm kind of paying for it now. Anyway - here are the coolest, most inspirational, most informative, most heart-tugging posts that I've found in my Internet roving over the last few weeks. Please enjoy and be sure to tell them you found them through The Simple Life.

1) This piece on waves from kidz pretty much sums up where I've been for the last four years or so. I'm learning to find treasures amid the surf.

2) As usual, Varda at Squashed Bologna nails it again with her piece about words. Varda is responding to the story about the father who planted a microphone on his son to find out what was happening to him during school. He discovered that his son's instructional staff were being verbally abusive to the children in his special needs classroom - children who often do not have the verbal abilities to tell their parents that something very wrong is happening. It's every special needs parent's worst nightmare. Yes, words are powerful.

3) I love reading Laura Shumaker's blog. Her book A Regular Guy was particularly meaningful to me because we live in the same area and I could relate to so much of her story from her son's early days. I also love reading about how Matthew is doing now as an adult with autism. On the one hand it's hard to hear that he is still struggling. On the other hand it's kind of encouraging to know that this is a long process and it's okay that we haven't figured everything out already.

4) Autism & Oughtisms post about words and rhetoric is also important, and kind of what I was trying to say here, but as usual said with more precision by A&O.

5) There have been a lot of mommy wars out there lately: tiger moms, working moms, stay at home moms, attachment parenting moms, blah blah blah. Katy at Bird on the Street says she is "Just a Mom" and that's plenty. I agree.

Sunday Digest 13

First a little celebration: This post is my 100th post on The Simple Life in its "new" form. From the archive count at the side it *looks* like my 101st, but one post is really my archive by topic which doesn't really count...just my way of making a separate page that lists all of my posts under their various categories instead of by date. Seems like a big deal that 100 times I've sat down at my computer and let the words flow...attempting to make what is a very complicated dance into The Simple Life. Just a small celebration. Probably calls for some chocolate.

Now to the business of the day:

1) I have been thinking a lot and wondering about what is happening to special needs individuals in Haiti. I'm sure most everyone there is suffering one way or another, but I wonder if there is a bigger gap of need when one is challenged in every day life, much less in a disaster of this scale. Here is a story I found about an Irish missionary who works with special needs children - the story of her survival, and her continuing work. I encourage you to check out the work of Partners International and Compassion in Haiti. These are two organizations that we have supported long term and trust to handle funds effectively.

2) Special thanks to my blogging buddy SquiggleMum for sharing this post from her husband SquiggleDad(?) on depression. It has been increasingly impressed on me that parents of special needs children are especially prone to fall into depression. There is an almost endless cycle of stress and grieving that leaves a razor thin edge of psychological and emotional well-being. The image of depression presented here was powerful enough to explain it to the few who do not struggle with this mental monster and yet encouraged me to take a new perspective when I'm feeling blue.

3) A friend from Facebook pointed out this resource for ADD/ADHD families. I have only glanced at Dr. Hallowell's blog, but it seems to have some good information for relationships with ADD/ADHD individuals: both from a marriage and parenting perspective. I may add some of his books to my list of things to review in the future...so watch for those.

4) So glad to find Laura Shumaker's City Brights blog. Laura's book "A Regular Guy" was the first book I reviewed on The Simple Life. I really appreciate Laura's voice as an experienced special needs mom...perhaps in part because she lives nearby so I know she lived this life right where I live it. I'll be happily following her blog...she also contributes regularly to 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

5) This post at Miracle Baby voices a struggle of many special needs parents...am I doing "enough" to help my child progress and overcome their challenges.

A Regular Guy - Review

One of the things I'd like to do here is review books and other resources that readers might find useful or helpful. Feel free to suggest books with a comment. A friend of mine brought this book over one day and told me I needed to read it. Some other people had told me about "A Regular Guy: Growing Up With Autism" but I was reluctant to read it. At the time it seemed like I needed to read more about various therapies and what little is known about autism than another mom's account of raising her autistic son. Since someone placed it in my hands and expected me to read it I started it and couldn't put it down. I think I read the first five chapters in one sitting. It helps that the author and her family live in our area so I recognize many of the places she describes and can picture our own encounters in those environments and imagine quite vividly the scenes she is describing. It helps also that she jumps right into the story and really bares her soul as she recounts her slow realization that something was different about her son (his intense interest in the wheels of a scooter-board struck a nerve) and the continuing journey toward a "diagnosis" and all that entails. School, siblings, socialization, safety, and spiritual struggles are all recounted with openness and a positive perspective that helped me realize that someday I would look back at our own struggles with a similar assurance. There's no strident advice here, although I think one could learn a lot from this mom about the choices and steps we take to support our special kids through every challenge that they face. I would highly encourage you to read this book if you are parenting a special needs child because you will come away with a renewed enthusiasm for facing your days with a smile and a shrug. I would also encourage you to read this book if you know someone whose child has autism specifically. It will help you know better what life is like for that parent and for that child, and how you can support them best.


Other book reviews:
Handle with Care