Frances Friday: Faith

by Andrea at a garden of nna mmoy
Posted on September 7, 2007

World, please be kind to my little girl.

She is perfect as she is at this very moment. She is thoughtful and prudent, generous and kind, polite and sociable, clever and sweet, resilient and sensitive. I spend every day awed at how unlikely it all seems. How did I produce her? How did she learn to make friends so easily when I still stumble over small talk, at 32? When I was three I threw temper tantrums all day long. How is it she so easily follows directions? How did she learn to watch her step so carefully without ever seeming to lose out on any fun? How does such a tiny ribcage hold such a large heart? How is it that the smallest unkind word to herself or others moves her to tears, yet she bounces back from trauma without missing a step?

It's incredible. It's not just me, is it? She is an amazing person, the best person I have ever met. She knows what loss is, but she still throws her heart wide open every day. She is as sensitive as gossamer and yet tougher than old boot leather.

You and I both know, world, that you need a lot more people like Frances.

Today she is starting school. Read more...

by Betsy at Gray Matters Matter
Posted on September 4, 2007


Tomorrow will be my son’s last first day of second grade.

It got me thinking about the bittersweet feelings that accompany every new chapter of our children’s lives.

The last first word they’ll every say.

The last first step they’ll ever take.

Usually these moments fill us with such unimaginable pride that we don’t realize until later, sometimes much much later, that there’s also a little sadness in the finality of those moments.

Tomorrow my son starts second grade.

Last night I laid in bed restless, anxious and sad.

I played my “movie montage” of his life, our lives as a family, in my head, from his first breath to him dominating my husband at video games last night.

I needed to feel close to him, like I wasn’t losing him. So I did something I haven’t done in a very long time, I went into his bed and snuggled him while he was sound asleep. Read more...

Intelligence Quotient Quotient

by Blog Antagonist at Blogs are Stupid
Posted on August 30, 2007

Yesterday was Diminutive One's weekly therapist appointment. We took a bit of a break over the summer, which was nice, but it was good to be back in her cheerfully serene waiting room once again. Though getting there and back during rush hour is an exercise in insanity, I have come to look upon that hour as a welcome respite from life's chaos and calamity.

They have good magazines there. Current ones. InStyle, Redbook, Entertainment Weekly, Time, Newsweek. Each month I work my way through the new editions, reveling in the indulgence of being completely inert for a full hour. There are no distractions to prick my conscience and prod me into productivity. There are no children demanding my time or attention. I can't multitask or network or interface.

So I sip my coffee or soft drink, settle into the commodious sofa and read to my heart's content.

To be quite honest, I usually start with the girly mags. They are a pleasure I don't often afford myself. But this week, an article in Newsweek caught my attention. I have a close friend whose six year old son is Autistic, so when I saw the article titled "The Puzzle of Hidden Ability" by Sharon Begley, I was intrigued. The article discusses the enigmatic issue of IQ and intelligence in autistic children, and challenges conventional testing protocols. Read more...