Relationships

My Daughter: Beautiful, Complicated, and Imperfectly Perfect

Though she is present in every essay I write, I have yet to describe my youngest daughter in all of her beautiful, complicated glory. My...

In and Out Of Our Lives: Helpers and Therapists

Note: This is the winning essay from the Spring 2023 Johnson County Writing Contest My daughter, JJ, has a rare progressive genetic...

Comparisons: The Myth That All Problems Are Created Equal

“No one’s problem is more or less important than anyone else’s.” “Everyone is dealing with something.” “We all have our own struggles,...

Partners: Why Having The Right Person By Your Side Can Be So Powerful

Having a child with disabilities can introduce a host of issues into a marriage or romantic partnership. While researchers don’t agree on...

Siblings: How My Oldest Daughter Is Thriving Because of Her Sister's Disabilities

The birthday party invitation was very much like the others we had received and rejected in the past year. There was only one small...

Connections: How special needs parenting changes our relationships with others

Christmas cards are an inescapable fact of life these days, especially if you have young children. Like us, most of our friends have...