Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Top 10 Famous Mothers and their Daughters

Patti's Comments:  Very inspiring for Mother’s Day week.

Excerpt from Listverse: (click for entire article)

“The love between a mother and her daughter is special. A mother takes her daughter under her wing and teaches her how to be a woman. In order to do this, you have to ask yourself what it means to be a woman of today. How do you balance care for others with your own quest for meaning and joy in life and how do you pass on these lessons to your daughter?” – Laura Ramirez

Being born to a strong mother, much less a famous one, can not be an easy task for a child to take on. Being the daughter of a great woman is perhaps even more daunting a task considering the undeniable comparisons between the two females. The hope of any mother for a daughter must be that her offspring is healthy, happy and can find her own path. The women listed below are a varied bunch yet all share a common thread. The strength of the mother was passed to their daughter. The impact of these women, whether they are historical figures who changed the world, famous women we have welcomed into our lives or fictional families we have grown to love, their power as iconic mothers and daughters has been placed firmly in our collective minds.

Parents Wrongly Accused of Child Abuse Struggle to Get Kids Back

Excerpt from The Daily Beast: (click for entire article)

In the wake of the Penn State child-sexual-abuse scandal, legislators in at least 10 states have called for broader reporting of child abuse and neglect. But before we get even more aggressive in trying to protect children, we need to make sure that we aren’t destroying their families in the process.

A stark reminder of what can happen when there’s a premature removal and rush to judgment made the news this month. In 2008, William “Dave” O’Shell shot and killed his wife, Tiffany, and then himself, just two weeks after child-protective services found that their daughter, Alyssa, had multiple bone fractures and accused O’Shell of abusing her.

Tragically, when O’Shell committed the murder-suicide, doctors had already confirmed that Alyssa’s fractures were not the result of abuse but of a rare genetic disease called spinal muscular atrophy, which took her life only months later.

More than 2.5 million grandparents take on role of parent

Excerpt from USA Today: (click for entire article)

These are supposed to be their golden years. They worked hard, earned a decent living and raised their family. Now it's time to relax and reap the benefits of a life well lived.

But not for those who have had to take on the responsibility of raising grandchildren. Their golden years have been put on hold as they have begun another cycle of child-rearing.

Delores and Larry Kling have been parenting their 8-year-old granddaughter, Amber, since she was an infant. The Klings' son and the child's mother abandoned their baby and have yet to remember her on birthdays and holidays.

Why I Won't Allow My Son to Use His Disability as an Excuse

Excerpt from The Stir: (click for entire article)

I don't let my kids use their disabilities as an excuse for their behavior. And I don't use their disabilities as an excuse, either.

If there's one thing that irks me it's hearing other parents, particularly autism parents, tell me their child did XYZ, "because of their autism."

Newsflash: having a disability doesn't give your child a free pass to misbehave. And while I'm all for explaining and providing a reason for a child's misbehavior and sometimes it is necessary to explain why their child may have done something out-of-the-ordinary, writing it off as an excuse for little Johnny's tantrum at the park? Not OK with me!

SPD Foundation Conference : International Symposium, Parent Workshop & Scientific Workgroup

Excerpt from 5 Minutes for Special Needs: (click for entire article)

This March 16th – 18th, the SPD Foundation is raising the bar of information available to parents, caregivers, therapists and physicians alike.  It’s the 14th International Symposium & Parent Workshop – Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Sensory Processing Disorder Scientific Workgroup.

This event is a ‘must attend’ for anyone involved with Sensory Processing disorder as this offers a unique opportunity to get updated on the recent research findings and clinical implications.  This SPD event also includes:

    an introduction to Sensory Processing Disorder with examples from Diana A. Henry, MS, OTR

    tips for successful play by Doreit S. Bialer, MA, OTR/L, author of “No Longer A SECRET: Unique Common Sense Strategies for Children with Motor Challenges” (you can get a copy of this book at 15% off with the code ‘SPECIAL‘)

When to put yourself before you special needs children

Excerpt from Lost and Tired: (click for entire article)

Lizze and I met with an attorney that specializes in disability claims. He was very pleasant and seemed very competent in this area of law.

However,  at this point it seems like bad news.  It’s not really even bad news it’s discouraging news more than anything else.

Basically,  in today’s economic climate,  he won’t take the case because most of her disabling conditions are unprovable. Things like migraines,  fibromyalgia and nerve pain are unprovable because there is no definitive test for them.

What he said really makes sense and I don’t disagree with him but at the same time,  this is a pretty demoralizing.

Eight ways to build language & communication skills for late talkers

Excerpt from Friendship Circle Blog: (click for entire article)

“Molly is 16 months old, but when she wants something she just grunts and pulls on me.”

“When will Jake start talking?  He still doesn’t say any complete words at 19 months!”

Late-Talkers

This is one subject that I feel pretty comfortable discussing with other parents.  As the anxious mother of one child with global developmental delays and one late-talking child who spontaneously started speaking in sentences at age 31 months, I’ve consulted with more than my share of speech therapists.

How to change a NO to a Yes: Advocating for your child with special needs

Excerpt from Friendship Circle Blog: (click for entire article)

In addition to the typical day-to-day activities of homework and extracurricular activities, I have the physical and emotional stress of knowing that my thirteen year old daughter is very dependent on my decisions for her success in the world.

Regardless of my parenting at home, my two sons will be welcomed at their neighborhood school and participate in typical activities without much effort from me.  A few poor school meetings for my daughter with special needs and my desire to have her in her neighborhood school may be thwarted.

Juggling a Long Commute and 2 Children With Disabilities

Excerpt from The New York Times: (click for entire article)

Late one afternoon, Marlene Minto sat her two children down at the dining table and stood over them as they began their homework. A nurse’s assistant, she still had on her scrubs, with her ID card hanging from a green clip shaped like a frog. It was early into what she could call her second shift.

Ms. Minto had her son, Joedan, 10, read aloud from a book. Then she turned her attention to her daughter, Chelsea, 5.

“What’s this?” she asked, pointing to a shape on a page.

“Rectangle,” Chelsea said.

“Yes, rectangle,” Ms. Minto said, nodding in approval.

Juggling a Long Commute and 2 Children With Disabilities

Excerpt from The New York Times: (click for entire article)

Late one afternoon, Marlene Minto sat her two children down at the dining table and stood over them as they began their homework. A nurse’s assistant, she still had on her scrubs, with her ID card hanging from a green clip shaped like a frog. It was early into what she could call her second shift.

Ms. Minto had her son, Joedan, 10, read aloud from a book. Then she turned her attention to her daughter, Chelsea, 5.

“What’s this?” she asked, pointing to a shape on a page.

“Rectangle,” Chelsea said.

“Yes, rectangle,” Ms. Minto said, nodding in approval.