Family Services Newsletter Spring 2010

Text Box: 3. Offer to stand guard duty at the bathroom door while I take a nice, long, hot bath, free of constant cries of "Moooooooooooooom." 4. Buy some sturdy boxes for storing all the children's school papers, and then believe me when I say I have to save everything they've ever done for possible documentation of learning progress. 5. Buy some sturdy notebooks for storing all the children's specialist reports, and then organize them for me so I can always find the exact one I want in a snap. 6. Sit down with me for one hour to discuss decisions we have to make about our child's behavior, treatment, schooling, and/or future. No TV watching, newspaper reading, or dozing allowed. 7. Next time you're tempted to make some crack about a neighbor or a teacher or a family member that you just know our child is going to repeat out of context at the worst possible time ... don't. Just don't. 8. More precious to me than diamonds and rubies is a good long nap. Make it happen. 9. Next time we have a dispute over discipline, I win. (What's that? I always win anyway? It's the gift that keeps on giving!) Quick Gifts Just for Fathers of Children With Special Needs By Terri Mauro, About.com Guide to Special Children In a recent blog post about giving Dad books for Father's Day, I joked, "Then again, if your husband's like mine, probably the best gift you could give is some sort of 'Get Out of Reading About Our Child's Problems Free' coupon. But those, I'm saving for the last minute." And lookie here. It's the last minute. I've put a coupon like that and eleven more into a gallery of Coupons for Special Dads (http://specialchildren.about.com/od/familyissues/ig/Dad-Coupons/), for your scurrying-for-a-last-minute-Father's-Day-present pleasure. Print one of each, clip, and give; or print a dozen of the one Dad needs the most. In our house, that would be the one that says "Bearer Is Hereby Entitled to Have Someone LISTEN TO HIM for a Change." For other print-and-go gifts, take a look at the Love Notes for Special Parents Gallery (http://specialchildren.about.com/od/needinspiration/ig/Notes-of-Encouragement/). These artful inspirational notes can be printed, cut out, and framed to let Dad know you appreciate his effort, his resourcefulness, his superpowers. Make the guy laugh or cry, and maybe he won't notice that you never quite managed to get to the store.

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