Learning to Empower My Kids to Become Their Own Advocates
“Why do you walk like a penguin?” A little boy said this to my daughter, who has cerebral palsy, about two years ago. She didn’t answer him, she ignored his question and talked to the teacher about it. By the time I heard about it, the teacher had already talked to...
When Your Child Is Aware of Their Disability and They Don’t Like It
She fell again. She falls often. She falls down and gets back up. This time – like many other times – she wasn’t thinking about walking or balancing, she was playing and squealing and laughing like little girls do when they play, and in keeping up...
Confession of a Special Needs Parent: She’s Just One of the Kids
Like comic books with floating bubbles showing what people say, I sometimes feel as if my girls were walking around with little floating bubbles that tout, “Down syndrome” or, ‘”cerebral palsy.” I really wish those little bubbles could...
Confessions of a Special Needs Parent: The Back to School Terrifies Me
Excitement is muddled with fear as a new school-year approaches. I’m ready for some quiet around the house but I have two kids with special needs and the back to school terrifies me. My youngest has Down syndrome and she thrives on routine. We had Kindergarten...
I Didn’t Want to Imagine Being an Adult Still Living With a Disability
Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Jenny Hill for a summer series highlighting great bloggers who focus on disability. I still remember standing on the green chair in my father’s den, peering onto the top rows of his bookshelf, looking for something to...
Ellen Stumbo writes and speaks about finding beauty in brokenness with gritty honesty and openness. She's passionate about sharing the real – sometimes beautiful and sometimes ugly – aspects of faith, parenting, special needs, and adoption. Ellen’s writing has appeared on Focus on the Family, LifeWay, MomSense, Not Alone, Mamapedia and the Huffington Post.