About Teens
Chapter 27: ABOUT TEENS I was talking to a good friend of mine who is a little further along in the parenting journey—hers in college, mine in high school—and we both admitted how few people we...
Selective Hearing?
I remember a time I was at the park when my kids were little with a group of moms and kids.
She Didn’t Hear You!
I’ll never forget the time my child came home from elementary school confused and upset after being reprimanded on the playground.
Find strength in the man upstairs
A few things I want to share with my kids as they become teenagers: Find strength in your gifts and humility in your weaknesses. Choose being courageous over being perfect. Admit your mistakes. Take responsibility, apologize, try not...
Precious Scribbles on Easter Morning
My dad died of cancer a little more than five months after this photo was taken. I traveled home from school to spend Easter Sunday with him, my mom was working in the hospital in ICU that weekend.
When He’s 16
When he’s 16: There are irrational emotions arise in his heart and plummet into his gut without warning. There is acne and body odor and other physiological weirdness, with whiskers and mustaches, long legs and...
Dear Insurance Company
This is my daughter, Harper. She is twelve and was born with severe hearing loss. That means she could not hear anything other than doors slamming, drums, thunder, or a freight train....
A Wish For My Daughter as She Becomes a Teenager
Dear Daughter, As you prepare to become a teenager, here are a few things I wish for you: May you always find the beauty in nature: oceans, trees, mountains. May you always know your body...
“I love watching you play”
Parents. Stop the madness. The lectures. The play-by-plays. The analysis. The should’ve, could’ve...
Growing Up as the Middle Child is the Best
“I call the backseat!” Pushing my way through the open car door, leaping over the middle seat, I threw myself into the rear-facing third row of our baby blue 1971 station wagon. With less than...
The Four Words I Hate
When my baby was diagnosed with hearing loss, I did not want to hear the word FINE. Because, here’s the thing. In those early days—it was NOT fine. None of it. I was scared. I...
To the Kid With an IEP
As the school year comes to an end, I’d like to give a big SHOUT OUT to all the kids who had an IEP and made it through the year! Here’s the thing. There probably...
Dear every person whose path I just came across
Dear every person whose path I just came across, I am not calling you out or judging you. I swear I’m not. I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I have been...
Things I Want the Women In My Life to Know
When someone gives you a compliment, accept it. Rather than letting it go in one ear and out the other—allow it to marinate. Everyone gets gas. Most people occasionally snore, too. Don’t sweat it. And,...
You Know You are a Parent of a Child With Hearing Loss When…
Parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing are a unique group of individuals. And although there is no one-size-fits-all way to navigate hearing loss, there are many commonalities. You know you are...