How Do You Esteem Your Mother?

I decided to post the following video for three reasons:

1) Cody was born without eyes.

2) I am a mother.

3) A great deal of my readers are parents of special needs children.


After watching the clip, please leave a comment. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Teachers

Yesterday was the last day of teacher appreciation week at our school. As a teacher's assistant, I want to share a few things that I know about teachers.

1) Teachers appreciate students who are respectful. Help your child learn how and when to use the words thank you,  please and excuse me.

2) If you wish to show appreciation to your child's teacher, thank you cards from the heart are best. If you insist on giving something more, make it a gift card to a book store such as Barnes and Noble or a school supply store such as Staples.

3) Remember that kids share what they see and hear at home. Don't let it come as a surprise if your child's teacher knows you and your significant other "shower together to save water" or that your family "had to get rid of the dog because it was humping everything".

4) Along with academics, teachers take on the role of mother, father, psychologist, friend, and adviser every day. Plus, they are on the lookout for learning disabilities and issues (bigger than water conservation and pet problems) at home.

5) Teachers are not marriage counselors. At parent-teacher conferences, please stick to your child's progress, not issues between you and your partner.

6) Teachers of lower grades don’t like to be told "I wish I could color and paste all day long." Believe me, teachers do much more than you realize. If you have any doubt, spend time as a classroom volunteer.

7) Teachers don’t arrive at school 10 minutes before your child does and they don’t leave the minute the students get back on the bus. Most put in extra hours before and after school, on week-ends and even holidays.

8) It's your child's homework, not yours. Teachers can tell the difference between a parent helping their child with homework and doing it for them (especially when they’re clueless in class the next day).

9) Check your child's backpack for notes and homework. Just because your child says he did his homework, doesn’t mean it’s true. You must check.

10) Teachers spend money out of their own pockets. They often buy things the students need, such as school supplies and even shoes.

Sick and Homeless at Christmas

A few years ago, just before Christmas, I found out that a child in my Kindergarten class was living at the Care and Share, a place in town that takes in homeless people. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I had met the little girl's mother and sister and they didn't have the appearance of being homeless or poor.

What I didn't realize about the Care and Share, until this time, was their rule stating that those staying at the facility had to be out of the building by 8:00 a.m. No exceptions. This was quite a burden for the mother and her young daughters.

About a week before Christmas, the little girl in my class got very sick; running a temperature too high for her to come to school. Since they had no place to go, her mother did the only thing she could think of. She took her sick child to a store and lay her in a shopping cart so she could sleep; pushing it all the while until it was late enough in the day that they could go back to the facility they called home.

That particular experience causes me to reflect upon the many blessings my family has that often go unnoticed; such as having a warm, comfortable home, a bed to curl up in when we are not feeling well, and an abundance of food and clothing.

Marelisa Fábrega said the following:

“Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good, even in unpleasant situations."

I couldn't agree more.

Appreciative Even Though...

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl
when the alarm rings each morning
Thank you Lord, that I can hear.


Even though I keep my eyes tightly closed
against the morning light as long as possible,
Thank you Lord, that I can see.


Even though I huddle in my bed,
and put off the physical effort of rising,
Thank you Lord, that I have the strength to rise.


Even though the first hour of my day is hectic,
when socks are lost, toast is burned, and tempers are short,
Thank you Lord, for my family.


Even though our table never looks like pictures in magazines,
And the menu is at times unbalanced,
Thank you, Lord, for the food we have.


Even though the routine
of my job is often monotonous,
Thank you Lord, for the opportunity to work.


Even though I grumble and bemoan
My fate from day to day,
And wish my modest circumstances
Were not quite so modest,
I thank you Lord, for the gift of life!

Author Unknown

Ten Reasons to Give Thanks for Your Child with Special Needs

1. You never have to worry about worrying over nothing.
Let other parents obsess over the frivolous and the shallow. Your child will make sure you always have something worthy to worry about.

2. Developmental delays = more years of hugs, kisses, and little-kid sweetness.
My 13-year-old still wants to sit in my lap, give me hugs, and tell me he loves me. What mom of a sullen teen doesn't secretly wish for the same?

3. Maybe someday, Ty Pennington will come build you a house.
Hey, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition loves families of children with special needs. Your little one may be your ticket to a lavish living space.


4. Any little milestone is a cause to throw a party.
Your child works hard for every step, sit-up and syllable, giving you lots to be excited about.


5. Every day is a learning experience.
Some days it's a pop quiz, some days it's a crash course, but life with your child is always an education, for sure.


6. You have the privilege of putting several doctors' children through college.
After paying for all those appointments, you may feel like a one-family scholarship foundation. Put your child's name on some letterhead and take pride.


7. You meet a better class of parent in waiting rooms and support groups.
Your child frees you from having to hang out with those snotty parents on the playground, and gives you entry into an exclusive club of people who are sensitive, sarcastic, and sure of their priorities.


8. You have an iron-clad escape excuse for any occasion.
You'd love to stay at that boring party, crowded event, endless church service, but, you know, your child just can't tolerate it. (And if sometimes it's you who can't tolerate it -- who's to know?)

9. Coming up with new strategies every day keeps your brain sharp.
They say doing crossword puzzles helps ward off Alzheimer's. Figuring out your child's schedules and treatments and lessons and rights and restrictions must easily provide twice the protection.


10. Your blessings will always be fully counted.
Other parents may take the gifts that their children bring for granted. Not you. Not ever.



Written by Terri Mauro, About.com Guide