Weekday Reflections
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Read: "Personally, I find little gratification, let alone meaning in life, when I am cut off from doing what drives me. Success goes right out the window when I am forced to do things I am incompatible with." -- Elesia Ashkenazy, Autism - Change.orgMore »
Monday, March 16: Criticism
Read: "All of us have negative characteristics we aren't proud of. These hidden 'truths' often resonate with characteristics in our children that we don't like. ... Being aware of these patterns allows us to take a more supportive and empathetic posture with our children, rather than an overly critical one." -- Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D., The Challenging ChildMore »Tuesday, March 17: Advocacy
Read: "I'm not stuck in this world with those who would demean and exclude persons with disabilities. It is my desire to grow as an advocate such that they feel that they are stuck in this world with me and people like me who will not stand for the injustices that are leveled against persons with disabilities." -- Jeff McNair, Disabled ChristianityMore »
Wednesday, March 18: Labels
Read: "It's a universal feeling -- parents want to alleviate their child's suffering, regardless of how great or small it is, and whether or not it has a name. You don't need a label to help your child. By the time one can be matched to the behavior, often years have gone by -- years of lost opportunities to correct the problem." -- Stan Goldberg, Ph.D., Ready to LearnMore »
Thursday, March 19: Overprotection
Read: "Overprotection often causes more handicap for a disabled child than the underlying health condition itself. ... Your overprotection is magnified by your anxieties, fears, and often by an unwarranted sense of guilt. These are normal reactions, but they may deprive your child of the rewards of having tried and been successful." -- John M. Freeman, M.D., Eileen P.G. Vining, M.D., and Diane J. Pillas, Seizures and Epilepsy in ChildhoodMore »Friday, March 20: Worries
Read: "I think, when a child is born with Special Needs, any special need, most parents instantly fear for the future. Will they be able to take care of themselves? Drive? Live on their own? Become parents? Be teased in school? Will they be able to keep up with their peers? Will they be liked? Accepted? But really, these are things I think about with ALL my children. I know plenty of 'adults' who can't take care of themselves." -- Renee Garcia, Life With My Special KsMore »
Monday, March 23: Temperament
Read: "Temperament is real. It is inside. It is not the terrible twos, sixes, or thirteens. It doesn't go away. Your child doesn't get to choose his temperament and neither do you, but an understanding of temperament allows you to predict your child's first and most natural reactions and plan for success." -- Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, Raising Your Spirited ChildMore »Tuesday, March 24: Lessons
Read: "The albatross of disability in fact turns out to be a strand of uncultured pearls, each in its varied imperfection a pure and precious gift. No class I have taken, no country I have visited, no book I have read, has taught me more. This child who does not speak, who does not fit in, who is different wherever she goes, is a lesson to me." -- Judith Scott, "Parenting a Child With a Disability," Real SimpleMore »Wednesday, March 25: Hope
Read: "He hopes, this boy of mine. He always has and in doing so he’s taught me how to hope, too, how to learn to believe. He’s changed me in a way that means I’ll never, ever utter a derogatory quip about people who are disabled again, nor laugh along when someone else does." -- Anne, Archie's RoomMore »
Thursday, March 26: Resilience
Read: "We have a choice about how we relate to our circumstances -- we can make ourselves miserable or we can make ourselves strong." -- Kim Aumann and Angie Hart, Helping Children With Complex Needs Bounce BackMore »Friday, March 27: Interests
Read: "Personally, I find little gratification, let alone meaning in life, when I am cut off from doing what drives me. Success goes right out the window when I am forced to do things I am incompatible with." -- Elesia Ashkenazy, Autism - Change.orgMore »
Monday, March 30: Teaching
Read: "Teaching is a natural part of being a parent. Virtually every time you interact with your child you are teaching him or her something -- whether you realize it or not." -- Bruce L. Baker and Alan J. Brightman, Steps to IndependenceMore »
Tuesday, March 31: Siblings
Read: "Having a sibling with a disability can also bring many positives to the child without a disability, including appreciation of human differences, empathy, compassion, and pride in being a helper. There may also be conflicted feelings like gratitude for not having the disability, but fear they could catch it, and guilt for being glad they don't have it." -- Katherine Schneider, To the Left of InspirationMore »
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