eSpecially Ben

In Mr. Warmuth's high school social studies class, I raised my hand and asked if Mayor Koch was the governor of New York. I don't remember Mr. Warmuth's response, but I will always remember the years of ribbing I received for that one. For awhile, I may have even been known as "the girl who asked..."   And I know the question was a contributing factor to a nickname. In my defense, at the time I asked the question, Mayor Koch had been in office throughout my entire childhood and his first name was barely ever used. Even now, I really have to think hard about his first name...Ed. Yes, Ed Koch. Several weeks ago Logan asked me to teach him how to read a clock. I am not a great teacher, but this seemed like a simple task, one I could handle. Heck, I'd been telling time for quite some time now. I was already feeling the pride of knowing I taught my son how to read a clock. I cracked my knuckles and dug into my explanation. I told Logan about the two hands

This is a re-post from 2010. The night after St. Patrick’s Day long-time, dear friends of ours invited us to their ten-year old daughter’s exhibition of Irish Dance at a local college. Logan and Ben were my companions on this adventure – an adventure because the event was a good 25 minutes away and did not begin until after 7pm. And did I mention it was a school night? Ben sensed we were going somewhere different. Before we got out of the car, Ben’s arms and legs were moving a million miles an hour. This was a sure sign he was excited and happy to be out and about. Taking Ben somewhere new comes along with a lot of worry – Will I be able to get Ben easily to the location? Will Ben behave? Will he make his noises? Will we have to leave early because he’s not enjoying it? How will others react to him? I usually push past the worry, hope for the best and fly by the seat of my pants if needed. When things go well, an emotion I have not been able to label, takes hold of me.  It

Our family worked with an organization that provides a fabulous service for children with special needs and their families. Once we were involved directly with them, I noticed that they describe each child served, by their disease or disorder. The public profile was 90% about the child's affliction. When I saw Ben's profile, I was really sad. He was listed as Epileptic with an Unknown Genetic Disorder. An Internet generated description of Epilepsy was included. A photo of Ben, his age and hometown were also listed. The many people who looked at the website would not see Ben as a person who likes to swim, play with his brothers, be outdoors and watch Bob the Builder. They would see a poor child who is handicapped and needs help. I emailed our agency contact and suggested they add some other facts about each child - what is their favorite food, activity, movie, book, etc. The questions and answers would depend on the child's development, but it would give a more rounded vie