Tag: Easter

Holidays are hard

Holidays can be very difficult for children with special needs and their families.

We often don’t see the excitement and enthusiasm from our kids, that others may see from theirs. Many of our kids need their regular routines and when we deviate from that for holidays we see anxiety, aggression, meltdowns and all the hard.

Our holidays do not look the same as everyone else’s. Sometimes these days are about surviving rather than celebrating.

The noise, excitement, gathering of family and friends can be too much for kids like Stalen.

Fancy dinners prepared with love can’t compete with the usual favorites. I am cooking a Turkey dinner today but Stalen will have his usual pasta stars and crackers.

Even though we had a great Easter morning, our day can quickly switch to total and complete chaos. Our Easter lasted about 20 mins., which was about 17 mins longer than previous years. Everything is already put away so Stalen can have his usual day that he desperately requires and needs.

I’m thankful for those 20 mins of Easter that he gave us this morning. I’m thankful for those that try to understand that our holidays are different and can be difficult.

I’m thinking of other special needs families like ours, who may be struggling with the day.

♥️We see you.
♥️We love you.
♥️The sun will shine again. ☀️

Bunny Cake Tradition

The bunny cake tradition….

I’m not really sure why I started this tradition. At first I thought it was a fun way to show Stalen’s physical growth year over year.

But, now I know that it was so much more than that.

The bunny cake has become a concrete example of hope and effort.

Each Easter I buy a bunny cake for a little boy who doesn’t eat cake. He has a very limited diet which only includes eggs and baby purée now.

It’s not a symbol of what he can’t do but it’s a symbol of hope for what he may do one day.

Some day I know he’s gonna want to taste the cake but each year we will try again until HE decides that he’s ready.

Each year I will provide the cake and he will make that choice. I will follow his lead.

When and if he decides he wants some bunny cake, I will be ready. I’m always preparing for those “you never know” and “just in case” moments.

As a parent to an autistic child, I have learned that this journey is one of lots of hope and effort.

It is these two ingredients that have watered the seeds for the greatest growth.

I will always continue to hope and put forth the effort because progress never comes from just standing still and great things take time.

While the photos may show a physically growing boy, they don’t show all the other areas of him that are experiencing growth too.

There’s also a Mama behind the camera that’s growing every day as she learns more and more about her boy and how he sees the world.

And just like that, this year he touched the cake renewing the hope and effort of the bunny cake tradition.