eSpecially Ben

Logan attended a sleepover so we took Ben and Sean out to eat at their favorite burger joint. Throughout the meal, Ben would not take his eyes off of Sean, giving him the "Look of Love" coined by Logan a few years ago. Until this night, this look was reserved only for Logan. Of course I did not have a camera to capture the moment, but here are some others of Sean and Ben.

After I saw this offer by  Studio Movie Grill  to see first run movies in a family atmosphere (read=noisy) where kids with special needs and their siblings were welcome, I knew I had to share the link. The kids are all free and the adults are $6. This company is nationwide so take a look to see if there is one in your area. Then I thought I should share other summer resources and if I had about a million years, I could put them all here, but luckily another organization did the work for me: Federation for Children with Special Needs  -  This is Federation's 2013 Summer Fun Camp Directory. You will find links to over 200 camp Web sites serving children with disabilities, as well as useful information and resources to help create a rewarding summer camp experience for you and your child.  Here are a few others I found: Top Ten Activities  -  AbilityPath.org created a list of  ten summer activities  to do with your child that don’t require weeks of planning, a small loan or tr

Logan got himself buried in the sand with Dad's help. Summer is almost here!

Last summer, while on vacation at a Jellystone Campground, Ben started to let go of me in the pool. He wore a life vest in 2 1/2 feet of water and by the last day, he was pushing me away and standing in the water unassisted for short periods of time - a few seconds at the most. This year, we joined an aquatic center with a special indoor therapeutic pool. I figured by the end of this summer, Ben would walk in the water while holding on to the rails. Once again, the stinker proved me wrong. We went to the aquatic center twice during Memorial Day weekend, just a week ago. Ben screamed in joy every minute of the 5 hours total we spent there. He sat in about one foot of water and watched everyone play. He moved around a bit by crawling and scooting. This Sunday, he insisted on leading Kim, the community staff person, to the 3ft area. (big kudos to Kim, because the water was icy). There were many boys his age swimming around and goofing off. They definitely were the impetus fo

I started this post a thousand times in my head and it was always called, Acceptance . I was cleaning up a pile of papers and came across a note with the same word written on it - a reminder to myself to write a post about this topic. Then I was reading an emotionally laden fiction book about family and it talked about the stages of grief, but acceptance was introduced to me for the first time as reconciliation . I thought about writing about the people around me who need to reconcile their thoughts and feelings about Ben - everyone from close family members to strangers we see on the street. Adding to the stress of having a son like Ben, is dealing with everyone else. But that's not fair - everyone is at their own place, on their own journey and try as I might judge other's level of acceptance, I am not in the position to do so. After many rewrites, I decided to talk about my own journey through acceptance and reconciliation - whichever word feels more comfortable. In thi

Two days after the opening ceremonies, Logan, Sean and I attended the actual county-wide Special Olympics. It was our fifth year as spectators and we had set expectations: cheering for the athletes, sitting outside at the stadium, watching athletes race by in walkers and wheelchairs and catching up with people we only see once a year. This year proved different. It seemed that Ben was participating in several events that involved throwing, pushing or hitting a ball. We were inside, isolated in a gymnasium with nine stations. Athletes went through the stations alone (no competition) and needed to complete each one to receive a gold medal. Right from the beginning, Ben knew this was not for him*. It was a struggle to get him to participate. He was less than enthused about the activities and was not cooperating with the high school volunteers. At one point, Logan was frustrated and whispered to me that Ben could do the event if he (Logan) was the one helping. I am not sure anyon

Shamefully, this was my first time attending the opening ceremonies of our county's Special Olympics. I will not miss them again, and I will try to bring a crowd with me next year. Logan, Sean and I were probably 3 out of 20 spectators for over 1100 athletes. They were spectacular. They did an excellent job of mimicking the noteworthy traditions of the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games. Larry Sprinkle , a local celebrity and television anchorman, hosted the event. Sir Purr (Carolina Panthers Football Team's Mascot) and Chubby Checkers (Charlotte Checkers Hockey Team's Mascot) made appearances. The band and choir from Charlotte Country Day School performed. The pomp and circumstance that adds importance to an event was present. The spirit of the volunteers, teachers, speakers and athletes made it exciting and inspiring. We heard the story of how 30 years ago, David Ball, a teacher, attended the spring games with his class and was so moved by the experience