Hi, I am Jill. I live in Calgary, Alberta Canada. I have been writing for years, mostly for myself. In 2011 my son was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome, a rare disorder, just before his second birthday. When we received his diagnosis it felt as if a freight train dropped new words at our doorstep on the hour, day after day….disability, special needs, SLP, PT, OT, early intervention, non-verbal, alternative communication, AFO’s, IPP’s, non-typical…
My husband and I had two choices. We could accept and embrace or we could deny and withdraw. We jumped on that train and learned all we could. Our life changed, without a doubt. I had to quit my job. We were immersed in therapies and we slept very little. We went on to have another child, we bought a house in the suburbs, we moved forward. I used to think how unique we were.
Now I know, as parents, we all have a story.
All of our lives have been changed, have had to pivot, due to a diagnosis, a health crisis, a tragedy, the list can go on. Parenting is not easy. I do know that being a parent is easier if we are surrounded by other parents, like us. I embrace an honest and realistic approach to parenting with added in laughter at every opportunity.
Let’s share the chaos, the stuff we can’t fix, let’s share our stories!