Nine years ago today I woke cloaked by darkness and breastfed my firstborn son. Within a couple of hours we bundled our infant into his pushchair and headed towards the train station. We began a journey of Truth with Hope travelling alongside. Sam had an appointment in London for an MRI scan of his brain. Our [...]
Christmas isn't about Jesus for a lot of people. Long before Jesus came along, the Romans celebrated Saturnalia in the middle of December by exchanging gifts and partying. It was a good few centuries later that Christians hijacked this festival and joined in the merriment creating Christmas. I reckon that someone who doesn't think about God 364 days of the year has [...]
You may or may not have noticed it's been a while since my last blog, but I have news. I've been doing a Kate Sadly, not the immaculate hair, smooth skin and a perfect figure but rather I have spent an extensive amount of time crouched over examining the finer details of my toilet bowl. I [...]
While we were on holiday in the summer I heard about the Carers UK short story writing competition. When I previously tried to write a short story for a writing class I attended I had failed completely. For me writing is all about where I've been, how I felt and what I've learnt. When imagination was being given [...]
I believe words are powerful although it is our attitude that makes a word either offensive or complimentary. A good friend of mine once received a call from her son's teacher explaining he had sworn in class. He had just joined a school with a specialist unit for deaf kids. The teacher described how he used the sign for 'shit' in the classroom [...]
The other day I was in our local supermarket when a stranger stopped her work, looked sympathetically between me and my son and sighed 'Aaaaaah!', as though slightly disappointed. Having read many blogs and articles I know this experience is not unique. It seems many parents become indignant and frustrated, wanting to correct the stranger with [...]
I have had a couple of weeks of things breaking down. Break Down #1 - The Washing Machine The kids hadn't gone back to school yet and my washing machine decided the best way to clean our clothes was to boil them. I was merrily busying myself in the kitchen when I noticed heat emanating from the [...]
The school bell tolled at the end of term. With boxing gloves in each hand, I heard my coach shout over the furore of the crowd. I was ready. The referee called us to the centre of the ring as I excitedly bounced on my tiptoes keen to begin. Finally, I lifted my head to see [...]
There have been occasions when it has felt as though every time I picked up my youngest son from school he stumbled out of class clutching a piece of paper. A sticker on his chest brazenly claimed, "Today I bumped my head". I'm then given all the gory details of how his most recent injury occurred. J [...]
As well as trials, there are many advantages to loving and parenting a child with severe and complex disabilities. Here are my Top 10 Advantages. 1) Disabled Bays No more aimlessly driving around a crowded car-park. With your precious Blue Badge, you get to park in Disabled bays (assuming some unworthy driver hasn't already nabbed it). [...]
