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...
She Doesn’t Want Me To Love Her Back
She walks to me and covers my mouth, a clear sign I’m not supposed to speak to her. “Mom. I luh you.” She waits a second, then she puts down her hand. “Thank you.” I say. “Hug?” She says, then hugs me tight, she lingers for a...
Parents of Kids With Disabilities Are Hard to Get Along With
Perhaps some of us who parent kids with disabilities have snapped, yelled, or given an angry lecture to friends or family, leaving them utterly confused about our behavior. Who can blame them for thinking, “Well that’s the last time I talk to her!”...
You changed me
Dear Nichole, When you came into my life, your diagnosis of Down syndrome threatened to crush my heart. That tiny extra 21st chromosome seemed too powerful for me to stand up against. I cried constantly, and I feared our lives would be covered with limitations. I...
My Kid Does It Too…
It happens in the life of almost every parent who has a child with a disability, at some point we share a concern with a friend over what our child is doing — or not doing — and we’re met with the well intentioned, “Don’t worry about it,...
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.