A Little Help From Our Friends

A local farm, turned county park, offered a special event featuring the Civil War. Volunteers dressed as military personnel, farmers, craftsman, acted out battles and answered questions. It was family friendly and the kids were welcomed to try out each experience.

Ben was content at watching everything going on around us. Logan and Sean were mesmerized with the machine that removed corn kernels, and they literally spent most of their time getting the heads of corn from the shed and then either by hand or machine taking off the kernels. For some reason, unknown to me, this was an exciting activity for them.

Ben and I visited the cows nearby. A boy of about 10 or 12 came up to us and offered to help Ben feed the cows. The photos you see are of Ben and this boy. Notice how the boy gently uses a hand-over-hand approach to help Ben feed the cows.

The boy suggested that Ben may like to get the kernels off himself using the machine. This kid was so kind and thoughtful, I agreed.

While waiting on line, the boy ahead of us offered his corn for use with the machine. He thought Ben's might be too small. It turned out that this boy was the other boy's younger brother.

Ben experienced a bit more than the sand papery feel of a cow's tongue and the taste of corn kernels that day; he was treated with dignity and respect, friendship and kindness. These boys have a special gift. I am glad we met them and that they shared their day with Ben.

Comments

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

eSpecially Ben

Search This Blog