An Introduction to Parenting Noah
When Whitney asked if I’d be interested in writing for Mommies with Style I was flattered, and more than a little shocked. Actually, my first thought was that maybe I shouldn’t have poured her that second glass of wine, because clearly, she wasn’t thinking straight. She wanted little (ha ha, I wish) ol’ me to write for a website called Mommies with STYLE? Wow! Ummm…yes!
And she wanted me to write with a focus on kids with special needs. Well, that certainly made more sense to me than her asking me to write about style. Special needs I know. Style? Not so much.
So, what does qualify me to write about special needs? Oh, just one little 44 pound five-year old boy with a laundry list of diagnoses attached to him. That five-year old is my son Noah. And that list of diagnoses includes Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and Attachment Disorder. There have been a few other abbreviations thrown in and out of his medical records over the last few years as well.
Noah spent the first six months of his life in a Russian orphanage, which we can consider causative of the SPD and attachment disorder. The ADHD and AS, well, we/he just got lucky I guess.
Parenting Noah has been the greatest challenge I have ever encountered. I am now “that parent.” The one in my care free single days that I would see in Target, with their out of control child, and all smugly think “my children will NEVER act like that!” Talk about karma…
On the flip side though, the boy makes me laugh! He’s one of the funniest kids I know. And he’s smart, too smart for MY own good sometimes. He’s also a great big brother to Kiel, our eight-month old “science” baby.
People often tell us what a wonderful thing we have done, adopting Noah. That we are doing a great job parenting him and that he is very lucky. And of course, the old “you only get what you can handle” bit. Well, I have a confession to make. I’m hanging on here by the skin of my teeth. The challenges far outweigh the rewards most days. But don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my son. I would fight to the death for him. Mess with him and you have a mighty fierce mama bear to deal with.
So, here I am, writing for Mommies with Style about kids with special needs. This is a new direction for Mommies with Style, so I’m hoping you, the reader, will help guide me as to what you’d like to read here. I’d love to share some of our challenges and accomplishments, as well as some of the more practical information I’ve gained along our journey. I’ve been fortunate over the last several years to meet and work with some very talented people in the special needs community. So, if you have a question and I don’t have an answer for you, there is a pretty good chance I know someone who does.