Author: KRISTEN GROSECLOSE
To the parent trapped in a horrible day
I see you, my fellow caregiver. You’re trying and failing to hold it together because today is bad. Like really bad. Like so bad you don’t know how to get...
Sweating the small stuff
Have you ever considered the grueling job of a package delivering UPS worker? I hadn’t. Not until I read about UPS Bootcamp, an intense training that newly hired delivery workers complete before they...
The insidious pressure of “fun”
Confession: Some days I exhaust myself worrying about fun. Not for Jack’s sibling, who’s typically developing. Boredom sparks growth and creativity, after all. I’m not a concierge. My role as...
Expectations versus Reality
When Mike and I came to get him, he was snoring peacefully in the sensory room adjacent to the dance floor, his aide a watchful distance nearby. We learned he...
Please don’t tell me “Everything happens for a reason”
No matter where you are on your special needs journey, one thing is guaranteed: you will hear “everything happens for a reason” regarding your child. (Going forward, I christen this...
A Caregiver’s Challenge
Last week my favorite jeans didn’t fit. They were too tight. And no, despite my best attempt at self-deception, the dryer didn’t shrink them. A step on the scale verified...
Confronting the future with sweaty palms
Recently I attended a special needs parenting conference to prepare for my son’s transition to adulthood. Although Jack is only 15, and legally entitled to 6 more years of schooling,...
Declutter Your Life Without Tossing a Thing
Our culture conditions us from birth to be busy, active people-pleasers. We all have the opportunity to take less on and say no but we often don’t. Why? Because as...
Anatomy of a Medical Crisis
It always starts out as an average, boring day, doesn’t it? I was home alone with my nonverbal son Jack. I flopped on the couch downstairs, settling into a Netflix...
The Battle Between Control and Acceptance
Mike and I love to problem solve. We continually evaluate our days and tweak here and there in an attempt to make things better. We keep a backpack fully loaded...