Special Needs Parent Monthly (#1)

Welcome to the kick off of a NEW blog series, where MONTHLY, I will feature a Special Needs Parent. If you are interested in being considered as a featured SN parent in a future posting, please email me at melmom2angels@yahoo.com.

First up is Robin. In her own words, she will tell of herself, her family, and her life with having a disabled child.

basic info....stay at home mom, married 16 years in Feb., I enjoy reading, photograghy and word games.

have 2 sons Derek 11 and Jacob 13..

life as a special needs parent well, I don't sleep much lol. it's a struggle to balance my time between my sons since Jacob needs so much of my time. Jacob was dxed at 2 years, he was a good baby, well a great baby...only cried when he was hungry. Everyone was jealous but in the back of my mind I was worried. He was To good! He didn't regress, he just reached milestones late. He didn't babble, point, or "play" like other kids his age. He started PT at 8 months, Ot and speech at 18 months and early intervention at 2.

He is in the 8th grade and I'm going to start home schooling next because he will be going into high school and I feel like he will benefit more from one on one and I can pay more attention to the areas that of important to Jacob. He LOVES music, football, water, and food. lol which is a challenge because he is on the gf/cf diet.

He's a good dancer. He has severe IBS and when he is in pain he becomes very aggressive. He doesn't know his own strength. He gives the best hugs in the world! He has a lot of sensory issues and likes deep pressure and massage.

He likes to be petted on his arms some times which gets us strange looks in public. lol Doesn't bother me, I'm outspoken if people are rude I let them know about it.

Autism is just part of our family....you learn to adjust your life accordingly. Jacob is non verbal so I am his voice....and I have a big mouth (hehe)!

Kids and Adults. See the Difference.

Yesterday, my son had a Psychiatric appointment. While in the waiting room, a girl not too much younger than him came in. I knew RIGHT OFF THE BAT she has a moderate/severe form of Autism. She mainly played "alone" away from the group of kids at the table (including my 3 kids). But in the end, two of mine went and played with her, as did another little boy.

In that moment, I had seen firsthand how CHILDREN are more accepting and less afraid of communication and interaction with another person, despite being profoundly disabled, in contrast to the *adults* who are TOO SCARED (as in may say or do something "wrong" within the interaction process) to interact with them.

These kids all had something in common in that room. THAT is what drawn them to one another. The fact that they ALL are disabled, mentally in one way or another, you *can't* see OUTSIDE (for the most part) what their handicaps are. But they all understand one another and eachother's "quirks".

If only more people, primarily adults could be like those kids. To see PAST an individual's "quirks" (disabilities) and interact with them on a more personal level of "normalcy" and compassion. To do so would make this world a MUCH better place to live.

Just like my son and his older sister. They can fight and scrap like cats thrown in to a tub of water and getting a bath. But when push comes to shove, my oldest (the girl) says that NO ONE had better DARE call her little brother names (like retard) or pick on him in any other way. She said if they do and she finds out, the bully will be dealing with HER...Same with my son about BOTH of his sisters.

My daughters SEE and also have experienced firsthand what their brother's differences are and can be like, from other "normal" kids (and boys his age). But they are accepting of him for who he is, and what his "quirks" are.

They know when to run and hide, when to stand up to him and when to defend him. In the end, he is their brother. Period. Not disabled, weird, different or "nuts in the head".

Just a kid that is a bit off, but is still lovable just the same and is treated no differently.

I have decided to take a Blogging Hiatus for the Summer.

Due to different factors, including, but not limited to the fact that my readership is apparently down, and the time I take to piece some of these together (mainly on one of my other blogs), I think this is the best option for me at this time.

There's chance that I will post once in a while while on this hiatus. But I am looking for this to be once in a blue moon, of sorts. I have a lot on my plate. And I feel that I must remove some of my "activities", with Blogging being one of them. And quite possibly, using Twitter, as well.

I'm hopeful that you all will understand. But it's time to put my family, Summer activities (if any) and above all things, MYSELF first, above the Blogosphere.

Thanks for understanding. And I'll see ya around, my friends.

P.S. ~ I plan on posting this in all four of my pages.

Inclusion...As it should be.

My child has mental health issues. They do NOT have him, though. He may have his quirks and his ways of viewing the world around him. But when you get down to the brass tacks of it all, he is just your average, ordinary, everyday kid who loves, loves to be loved, plays hard and loves to play with others (most of the time).

Also, we got his SOL (Standards of Learning) scores back from taking them for Reading and Math. He placed Advanced in both. One of them (Reading) was a 2 hour to 2 1/2 hour test. He was able to go to another area to take his test and have as much time as he needed. He felt less stressed and anxiety-ridden, and felt more at ease at knowing that he could just take HIS time and not feel any pressure.

We are now officially out of school for the Summer. But we are getting B in to the Day Treatment Camp. And I already have his new Homeroom teacher lined up for next year. She is the ONLY one of the three in the 5th Grade Unit Special Ed. certified and is already acclimating him to be with her. In fact she started it MONTHS ago, seeing as they are only three doors down from one another. I love H's (now former) teacher!

     (My niece who is going to be a Senior in HS and B at the family reunion)

     (Five...yes, F-I-V-E generations of my husband's late Grandfather's side of the family. 7 kids, 16 grands and 32 great-grands, and 1 great-great grand. NOT all pictured here, but includes spouses/significant others, with my son in very front in red shirt and blue shorts.)

                (B in the school's Field Day race this past Thursday.)

Spring Break...And Teacher Not Returning. Blog Hop LINK-UP, too!

Bryce told me on the way home from getting his sister from her track meet yesterday that after today, his Homeroom Teacher will not be returning.

She is nine months pregnant. Her first baby. And she is due on Bryce's old due date (how cool is that??). He's a bit bummed by it, but understands. Although I'm worried for the Substitute Teacher about to fill in after we get back from Spring Break, which is all of next week.

There's not much we can do next week, but maybe take them to Putt-Putt Mini Golf and maybe a picnic lunch at the school playground once or twice. And of course, on the beautiful days, it's going to be VERY little DS playing, and MUCH more OUTSIDE playing for all three brats.

Do you have a Spring Break coming up, had it, or don't get one?

And be sure to link your blog up (BELOW) and have a GREAT Friday! I will..I'll be with the wee ones in Kindergarten having fun egg hunting and having a "Spring Party" (gotta be PC, ya know!).

Need A Place Other Than THIS Blog to share and talk?

Then you have a couple of options! One of them is brand-spanking new. The other is well, not so "new", but may be "new" to YOU. (=

First of all, 'The "Mental"-ist Mom' has it's very own "Like" page over on FaceBook.

There you will find direct links to new posts. Yo can also post to the page's wall with discussions, photos, links to other sites or to articles that you wish to share. Me casa, su casa is my motto!

Now for the BRAND NEW spot you can also find me at, and this blog's postings and other neat things...

The Blog Frog Community for 'The "Mental"-ist Mom' blog!

There's already some discussion topics up for you to join in with us. And please FEEL FREE to start discussions of your own...There's also room for GROUPS to be formed. If YOU wish to start a group, please contact me via message on TBF Community and I will make you an Admin of the site SPECIFICALLY to run YOUR group (only).

Have a wonderful Monday, everyone! And I hope that you will indeed "hop" on over to these pages and that we can converse soon. I LOVE interacting with my readers.

Find New "Fab Friends" over at For The Love Of Blogs TODAY!

Friday. I love it. And I loathe it. Especially on mornings such as these where the kids don't wish to get along.

If you haven't done so yet, stop on by For The Love Of Blogs. It is a WONDERFUL community of bloggers. Vic, Ashley and the crew are awesome ladies (and guys, too!) to get to know. And the community is VERY organized and supportive.

Click on the Fab Friends Friday button below, and see what I'm talking about. And feel free to become a member of FTLOB and join in the Fab Friends Friday Hop.



To read my latest blog entry titled,"Three kids, a minivan and one parent" ,click on said title and it will take you right to it.

Also over on Twitter, For The Love Of Blogs is hosting their first-ever Twitter Party! Everyone is invited to join in the Twitter-ific fun. The party begins at 12 PM, EST on March 5th.

Use the hashtag #FTLOBPARTY when answering or asking questions to make it easier for @taylordates, @scenicglory or @ashley_plus3 to keep up.

Have a great Friday, everyone!

Friends Are Hard To Come By In This World. (BLOG HOP..Add your link!)

No, I don't mean within THE world in general. But within MY world, and that of my son's.

Unless you (generally speaking) and your child go through what kinds of things we do on a daily basis, then no one can quite understand or comprehend my family's reality of daily living.

So, as you can imagine, friends who REALLY can understand and WANT TO understand, let alone accept my kid for WHO he is, not how he can act are pretty hard to come by.

Same goes for Bryce. He has a few friends. But otherwise, he is pretty much an "outcast" at school. Let's just say, kids can be pretty mean. Even in the fourth grade. And I know with Middle School looming upon him, it WILL get worse before it gets ANY better.

But, what few friends that my son DOES have, they see PAST his disabilities and his Tics, and see the REAL Bryce. The sweet, friendly, caring boy that he really is.

So, take the time to make a new and "different" kind of friend. And don't let outward and seemingly awkward appearances fool you. Because if they are like my son, once a friend, you have a friend for LIFE.

Now, after ADDING *YOUR* BLOG link to my link up tool (below), go find some more FAB FRIENDS to check out over at FOR THE LOVE OF BLOGS by clicking on their button.

Have a FAB Friday, everyone!

Link Up & Show Some Love...Gain readers & Find New Reads.

Good Sunday to everyone! I'm participating in For The Love Of Blog's "Comment Love Day", where you go and click on other blogs and leave GENUINE comments. Not just copy/pastes of "Nice blog." or "I'm following you, please follow me back.". It is a chance to REALLY know the writers and get a good chance to REALLY read what is on their mind or important to them.



But before you go over there, be sure to also leave your link here as well. And feel free to also check out the links to my other two blogs.

If you wish to be a *FEATURED* Blogger, CLICK HERE.

If you want to see my (former) *haunted* home, where I grew up, CLICK HERE.

If you wish to see about the new group and chat area for parents of Special Needs children, CLICK HERE.

Sometimes I feel Alone In Parenting. Now There's A *GROUP* For Us!

I know that there are MILLIONS of parents that have to care for children that are not what society views as a "normal" child. We are of a unique "breed" of parenting. We are parents of children that have a disability of one kind or another.

Some of our kids have just one disability to live with and battle. Some of us have a child or even more than one child in our home that have a multitude of disabilities.

And for most of us, while the diagnosis may be the same in comparison, the way our lives and theirs, their severity of disability and how each individual home decides to "deal with it" may greatly differ.

There are times, especially when Bryce is having a really bad "off" day, I feel so very isolated and alone. Like no one truly understands what he goes through, or that I do as his mother. At times, I think that no one really CAN understand.

But then after the storm passes, I then know that indeed, I am NOT alone. There really ARE other parents out in the world like me that live daily with the struggles of having a disabled child. May the child be physically, mentally, or even emotionally or behaviorally challenged.

Now, thanks to Vic, Ashley and Danielle over at For The Love Of Blogs (FTLOB), us parents that are raising children that are considered "Special Needs" will have a group/place of our own to come together and talk and get/give support.

Most of the time, Special Needs Parents are shut out from the rest of the world. We are considered "taboo", as are our children and their medical problems. And it is such a shame, seeing as our children can teach the rest of the world more than us "normal" people can of how to give UNCONDITIONAL love, support and acceptance.

If you wish to also join the group and get to know other parents of Special Needs kids, just click on the link I provided and follow the instructions.

And you can also join a host of other groups that the FTLOB family is putting together. I cannot say enough about this EXTREMELY wonderful and supportful community, where both fellow bloggers, as well as those that just love to read blogs, can come together as one and support each other, and form some wonderful friendships.

Hope to see you join me there soon!

Monday's "Mindless" Blog Hop..Esp. Special Needs Blogs!

Good morning from the proverbial "Mental Ward"! Today is certainly a Monday. Kids were all just barely ready for school, in time to hop on the bus as they just went outside to "wait" for it. Bryce actually was the one on the ball this morning, which is pretty unusual. And today, hubby and I are filing taxes! Minus the kids in tow, which yes, people, is a "first", sad to say.

Now, on to blogging business...

I highly suggest that if you have yet to do so, to join a wonderful, friendly, and well organized blogging community. It's For The Love Of Blogs. Best thing (besides getting your blog out there)? You do *not* have to be a blogger yourself to join. It's also meant to be a wonderful tool for readers to find new blogs to read that are of their interests. Just click on the blog button (below) to hop on over to their site.

BUT!! Before you do, if you have a blog or two (or more) that you wish to promote, feel free to also do so here in my linky tool area (also below, at the very bottom of the post).

Happy Monday, everybody!

Let's Get A-Hoppin'! It's Magical Monday. (blog hop)

Another week has started. What better way to kick it off on a Monday that to participate in the Magical Monday blog hop, courtesy of For The Love Of Blogs!

But before you run over there and see who all is participating, feel free to also ADD YOUR LINK HERE!

But, before you do...

please LEAVE A *GENUINE* COMMENT here on my page to show that you have read it. Not a copy/paste thing or a "I followed you/follow me back" comment... I am okay with people stating if they came from another blog hop and found me. But I don't play the "followed you/follow me back" game.

**If you cannot abide by that one simple rule for linking on my page, I wish for you to NOT link it at all, nor even leave a COMMENT on my page.**

Now, be sure that BEFORE you head over to..



...to add your link (below) in my link-up tool area! Have a great Monday, everyone.