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Not Alone: Special-Needs Parenting Encouragement and support from the Key Ministry team for parents of children with disabilities. Fri, 22 Feb 2019 16:13:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 Waiting to Exhale: Creating Space to De-Stress https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/2019/02/waiting-to-exhale-creating-space-to-de-stress/ Thu, 28 Feb 2019 12:08:55 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/?p=1576 The pace of life in 2019 doesn’t leave much room to breathe. And true confession: When I have a few minutes of down time I’m more apt to start scrolling on my phone than I am to just sit and enjoy the moment. But for those of us whose families are impacted by disability or […]

]]> Best Practices of Refreshed Special Needs Moms https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/2019/02/best-practices-of-refreshed-special-needs-moms/ Thu, 21 Feb 2019 13:33:55 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/?p=1564 I like to feel rested. My most satisfying days end with projects checked off my list and at least 7 hours of sleep. (And, hopefully, those are consecutive, uninterrupted hours.) But most days come and go with a lot of caregiving, emails with our daughter’s case manager, disability-related paperwork, medications organized, and the desperate need […]

]]> I Am M.O.M: The Best Qualified Advocate for My Son https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/2019/02/i-am-m-o-m/ Thu, 14 Feb 2019 13:26:01 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/?p=1549 I’d just walked out the door from the latest appointment with yet another doctor, I’d pleaded again for help, “My child can’t eat food without vomiting and screaming in pain for hours. Help!” I was still feeding him solid food as often as I could, always trying new things, and nursing him every two to […]

]]> 4 Strategies to Create a Sense of Control for Kids with Special Needs https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/2019/02/4-strategies-to-create-a-sense-of-control-for-kids-with-special-needs/ Thu, 07 Feb 2019 13:17:45 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/?p=1537 A sense of control is essential to kids. My grandson, who will soon turn 4 and beginning to outgrow daily napping, demonstrated his need for control this afternoon. His mother announced it was nap time, and he threw what can only be described as a tantrum. He’s really good at tantrums. As his mother carried […]

]]> 12 Things That Make Special Needs Families Different https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/2019/01/12-things-that-make-special-needs-families-different/ Tue, 29 Jan 2019 12:56:27 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/?p=1522 As we start getting back to ‘normal’ (whatever that is), after the holidays, it’s a time for pondering and contemplation… Over the 12 days of Christmas I offered 12 thoughts for families with children with special or additional needs, and they each serve as a useful reminder of some of what makes us all different, and […]

]]> Work, Autism, and Snow Days https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/2019/01/work-autism-and-snow-days/ Thu, 24 Jan 2019 16:22:42 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/?p=1507 Everything was going smoothly. He was in a new classroom, and responding well to the change. All the staff reported increased participation and cooperation. Cheers all around! The past is behind us! Onward! 4 days home Then one morning, he just refused to get dressed. The morning routine is pretty tight and if we don’t […]

]]> Special-Needs Moms Are Not Supermoms https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/2019/01/im-not-supermom/ Thu, 17 Jan 2019 13:21:07 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/?p=1489 “I don’t know how you do it.” “I could never do what you do.” “God knew just what He was doing when He gave Jordan to you. He knew you could handle it.” I’ve heard these phrases more than once and by different people. How about you? You have heard them too, right? These phrases […]

]]> Something Is Wrong with Your Baby: 5 Things I Wish I’d Known https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/2019/01/something-is-wrong-with-your-baby-5-things-i-wish-id-known/ Wed, 09 Jan 2019 15:58:45 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/?p=1477 Something is wrong with your baby. I remember, as though it were yesterday and not 1982, when our doctor sat down beside my hospital bed and uttered those words. Something is wrong with your baby. I reach through the decades at the young mother and wish I could go back in time and sit beside her. […]

]]> Goal Setting for the Special-Needs Family https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/2019/01/goal-setting-for-the-special-needs-family/ Tue, 01 Jan 2019 12:13:22 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/?p=1453 The start of a new year is one of my favorite seasons. I love blank calendar pages. I love setting resolutions and picking a word for the year. I even love reading productivity books and listening to podcasts. But I do think there’s something missing from the advice they give. It isn’t “one size fits […]

]]> You Are Not Alone: Bonding with Other Special-Needs Parents https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/2018/12/1428/ Thu, 20 Dec 2018 11:57:26 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/notalonespecialneedsparenting/?p=1428 Acts 28:2 tells us that when Paul and his shipmates wrecked onto the shores of Malta, “The native people showed [them] unusual kindness.” That is what will happen for you as well. You will be met with unusual kindness when you find a new network of support. They may seem to speak a different language […]

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