Skip to main content

My Dad

My Dad has always been a special person to me. He taught me how to throw a football, ride a bike and play Parcheesi and Monopoly. He was the Dad on the block who played hide-n-seek, kickball and woofle ball with all the neighborhood kids. He may never admit it, but he played Barbie dolls with me too. I have lived 12 hours away by car for a long time now and we have maintained our relationship through visits and lots of phone calls. Although he is great on the computer, he refuses to send an email. He'd rather pick up the phone.

When I started my blog, he became one of my biggest supporters, calling me to tell me how much he enjoyed reading my entries. Without being asked, he has helped our family emotionally, financially and physically. He understands the extra struggles we face daily and tries to help lessen the burden in ways that he can.


My Dad adjusted his role from grandparent to a typical child to one who has special needs. A visit with Grandpa means working on gross motor and speech skills. Whatever skill Ben is learning at the moment, whether it is climbing stairs, saying "drink" or learning to ride the tricycle, my Dad will make Ben work. When Ben was little, he would make Ben crawl across the dining room table. He is a natural motivator, building confidence while challenging his "student" at the same time. Ryan has often marveled at how skilled he is in playing, teaching games and interacting with our children.

On our latest visit with him, my Dad walked Ben around the track numerous times with the tricycle making sure Ben used his own muscles to get the wheels turning.

My Dad appreciates Ben's quirks, abilities, funny personality and even Bob the Builder. Of course, he loves Ben, and he is proud of him too.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities

  "Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities" is a series on eSpeciallyBen. As Ben approached 18, it was clear our role changed as parents. We needed to help Ben transition into adulthood. These stories are meant to assist other families who face, or will face, some of the same challenges. Talking About the Future Guest Post - Matt Wilson Legal Guardianship, Medicaid and SSI Researching Group Homes Questions to Ask at a Group Home Visit Referral Packet for Group Homes Getting Assistance from a Care Manager From Group Home Placement to Discharge Reaching for Independence

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

After my post, Brotherly Love , I received an email from a reader who reminded me of this song. I knew the song, but had never really thought about the words and the meaning behind them. I looked it up and thought others might see the lyrics in a new light.   He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother The road is long With many a winding turn That leads us to who knows where Who knows when But I'm strong Strong enough to carry him He ain't heavy, he's my brother. So on we go His welfare is of my concern No burden is he to bear We'll get there For I know He would not encumber me If I'm laden at all I'm laden with sadness That everyone's heart Isn't filled with the gladness Of love for one another. It's a long, long road From which there is no return While we're on the way to there Why not share And the load Doesn't weigh me down at all He ain't heavy, he's my brother. He's my brother He ain't h

ABC's of ABA

A few weeks ago I attended a workshop presented by a behavior therapist. As it turned out, I went to a conference on the same topic over a year ago. I will describe what I have taken away from these methods in my own words - but please take a look at the links I have provided below. After I learned about this, life with children made a lot more sense to me. Not that this is earth shattering material, but it helped me to better understand the hows, whats and whys of behavior in children, and occasionally husbands. I am in no way an expert in this - just a parent who wants to share a behavior strategy that has worked in our home. I hope to inspire others to explore it further.  Any errors in information comes from me and cannot be blamed on the presenters. Also, you may have seen ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis - connected most often with Autism - please do not let this deter you if your child is not autistic. I use these methods with all my children, none of which are labeled au