That was awesome! Thanks for sharing…It makes me think of things that I would have never thought of. I love the idea of cheering for your kid for grabbing a toy from another kid…it makes me laugh.ReplyCancel

This is a good thing you are doing, Miggy. It was fun to meet Katie and her sweet little ducklings. Children are such a wonderful gift.ReplyCancel

I read a loved every word of this. It really did have me tearing up and giggling (his prosthetics in the carry-on!)

Thank you so much for sharing this. Inspiring and helpful and just beautiful.ReplyCancel

Miggy, thank you so very much for featuring Katie and her sweet kids. It means a lot to me to hear what other "special" families go through–struggles, pain, and joy! I so relate, and it just helps me feel uplifted and not alone. Thank you for sharing your heart, Katie.ReplyCancel

So, maybe I'm oblivious, but when I first saw the picture I thought, oh I wonder why those cute kids are on here. And then I read that it was part of the special needs spotlight, and then when I looked really carefully I realized that those kids had some limb differences. It's kind of fun to look at their picture and just see kids, not their challenges.ReplyCancel

I really appreciated this post. It helped me in knowing how to approach "special needs" kids and people. Not that I don't anyway, but I just needed this perspective. Glad to also hear the mom frustrations that we all have and the guilt.ReplyCancel

I love this idea! It has been such a wonderful way for us to talk to Josie about her peers that have special needs. We show her pictures of Lamp, answer her questions, etc. Josie has a peanut allergy so we talk about it in that context for her.
We were recently at the children's museum and there was a little girl playing with Josie with significant burns all over her face and body. I was so proud of the fact that Josie just played with her like she was playing with everyone else. Later, in the car Josie asked us questions about the little girl and we explained why her skin looked different. I am 100% positive that the reason Josie approached that situation the way she did was because you have shared so much about your experience with Lamp on the blog so Josie "gets it" – even at 4. That said, as you do the spotlights, I would love to hear each family's perspective on how you like other families to engage with you about your special needs child. i.e. When a child stares at Lamp, what would be helpful for the mother to say to his/her child? I know kids typically launch into "what's wrong with him/her". (Besides the standard "everyone is different" bit that I find falls flat with most kids.) Thanks again for all the sharing!ReplyCancel

I love this idea. If you ever want to do a spotlight on Isabelle or Kabuki Syndrome, let me know. I would love for it to not be so unknown.ReplyCancel

Love the idea for you to have this special feature, Miggy. Thank you for doing this.ReplyCancel

I love your idea of sort of a platform for people to talk honestly about different (and perhaps little-known) challenges their children face, and how their own families and others respond to them. I have a child with an "invisible" disabilty – ie, physically he is unremarkable, but his behavioral and developmental problems are many and varied. He is old enough (10), however, that I don't want to blog about him…when they can read and write themselves, it seems like more their story to tell, not ours.

On a somewhat different note, I am not loving the "special needs" label lately. A friend just gave me the book "The Normal One" by Jeanne Safer. I have only read a few pages, and I am not loving it either (I must be in a moment), but I am touched by her attempt to address the needs of siblings of those with "special needs." She makes a pretty good argument against the term. For whatever that is worth.

Sorry I am not more help! I will come back when I've had some chocolate! :>ReplyCancel

I love that you are doing this. I think it would be very helpful as one of your other commenters mentioned to have these families describe how they would like parents of inquisitive children to address difference in their presence.
I agree that "special needs spotlight" isn't the best term. What about "Friday Family Feature" or "Featured Fridays".ReplyCancel

I too like this idea, just not the title. Maybe Extraordinary Angels? My husband is built much like Lamp and gets lots of looks, even at 37. He is amazing and credits a lot of it to his parents and friends growing up. Don't underestimate what Lamp can do. I know she was born to do great things!ReplyCancel