Category: Parenting a child with a Disability

How Parents of Children with Disabilities Can Recognize and Manage Emotional Spillover

Parenting a child with disabilities brings unique stress. Learn tools to manage anxiety, find support, and build resilience.

Dear Colin Farrell-Group Home Story

When we moved our daughter Jess into a group home at age 25, it felt like we were giving up. 💔

But as Colin Farrell shared about his son James—what’s the alternative?
If something happened to us tomorrow, where would she go? Who would ensure her safety, dignity, and quality of life?

Colin’s words resonated deeply with me. Like him, we realized that planning —while we were healthy—was an act of love.

Today, Jess has:
✨ A home in her community
✨ Housemates who feel like sisters
✨ A life full of connection, friendship, and independence
And we are still at the center of her world—just in a different way.

To other parents navigating this decision: you’re not giving up. You’re building the future your child deserves.

Caring for the Caregiver: 7 Essential Self-Care Strategies for Parents of Children with Special Needs

Strategies to guide parents of children with special needs integrate self-care into your routine, ensuring you remain balanced and energized.

Jessica’s Friend Network

Facing life’s curveballs is easier with friends. These women embraced Jessica into their circle, turning it into her very own Friend Network! #RaisingJess #Friends #Disability #Inspiring #Rare Disease #Family
#RaisingJess #Friends #Disability #Inspiring #Rare Disease #Family

Letting Go: The Group Home Decision

This is our group home story. A decision woven with uncertainty, love, and, ultimately, acceptance. Was the group home decision also a decision of Letting Go? These are frequent questions I receive from families and podcast hosts, and a story worth sharing. How we went from It’s Never Happening to a Leap of Faith. An […]

RV Trip Part Two, Fun Facts and a Surprise Ending

OK, now that we got all the repairs, hospital visits, and other nonsense from my last blog out of the way, I want to let you know about the good parts of the trip, Fun Facts and a surprise to both of us. Rocky Mountain High We drove through the twisty, turny Rocky Mountains to Grand […]

My First Pair of Fancy Shoes- Thanks, Mom

I know, I know, I have talked about purses in my blog. Yes, it’s shallow but still fun, right? However, I never spoke about My First Pair of Fancy Shoes. When my mom passed away in February 2020 my father and I had the hard task of going through all her clothes and belongings. And […]

Music Therapy Becomes A Love Language

Music is our daughter Jessica’s love language. She speaks it fluently. Jess is 41 years old, nonverbal, and has a rare genetic deletion (1Q 43-44). She lives in a group home with five other women who have become family. (Article in Today’s My View ) Jacob is Jessica’s music therapist and part of a local […]

What the Exit Interview with our Son and Daughter Revealed

So, how did we do? Why not conduct an exit interview when your adult offspring move out of the house. The intention is not for us to do a better job with our future children , but to get a fair assessment (can this really be fair and honest?) of how we did as parents.

What My Mother Knew That Took Me 20 Years to Find Out

My Mom was a big fan of my writing and said, “you should write a book. But I was too busy to write a book. I had a full-time job, three kids, and three dogs at home. Jessica, as documented in many blogs, needed help with every daily life skill.

3 Greatest Moments of Day 160: Jess Chimes in with her Scales

It has been 160 days since normalcy. We worry if Jess is losing skills while she is distancing at home. Still, we experienced 3 Great Moments.

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Why We and Other Families of Children with Disabilities Zoom from Across the World

For many years we did not know our daughter Jessica’s correct diagnosis. We did know that the DNA Jess was missing played a significant role in her development. In 2002, when Jessica was 20 years old, we received results that Jess has a rare chromosome deletion (missing piece). We struggled to find another family in […]

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Finally Seeing Our Daughter Jessica After 54 Days Apart

Today was our first-time seeing Jessica after 54 days–I was not sure how this was going to play out. Jess enjoys facetiming with us, but I was concerned that she would not understand why we were unable to touch her even though we were visibly in front of her. My husband, Mitch, insisted that we […]

FACE-TIMING with JESSICA a Magical Moment

Coronavirus has changed all our lives in so many ways. One of the saddest changes is the absence of seeing and hugging family. But through sadness, in our situation, we found some illumination and a bright light that brought a smile to my husband Mitch and myself.

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Connecting with Others: Our Daughter Jessica Started My Path to Writing and Receiving

Our eldest daughter, Jessica, has a rare chromosome abnormality, uses a wheelchair, and needs total assistance with all daily life skills. Jess was born in 1982 and within the year we knew that there were many developmental issues. Jess just turned 38 years old and is a joy to all who know her and love […]