My Anchor

There is no training manual for How To Be A Parent. 

There is also no training manual for How To Be A Parent to A Child With Special Needs.

I am making this up as I go.

I have help though. 

She may not know it, or realize how much she helps, but I am indeed helped by Haley's Big Sis.

I don't just mean that she helps me with Haley. 

She does that. 

She takes care of her sister when her Dad and I have somewhere else to be.  She helps us take care of Haley when we are out and about.  She plays with Haley sometimes.  She includes her.  That is all great.  And it does help, but that is not what I mean.

Haley's Big Sis helps me be who I am.  She helps me stay who I am.

In some ways Haley's Big Sis is a lot like me.  We share interests.  We like the same movies, the same actors, the same music, the same books.  We each like certain things that the other doesn't, but for the most part we have the same tastes.  We like a lot of the same foods. We like to go shopping together.  We go to rock concerts together. 


We have inside jokes (that drive my husband crazy.)

We can be watching TV and a preview for a movie comes on.  My daughter says "Mom, it's that kid."  I say "From that one movie."  She says "Yeah, with that girl."  I say "Yeah." and we both laugh.

And my husband groans.

It happens frequently.  It cracks me up.

She keeps me sane by allowing me to act a little insane.

It is hard to explain.  The point is that it helps.  I don't know what I would do without her.  She is a junior in high school.  Next year she will be a senior.  Then she will do something else.  College hopefully, but something.

I am scared.

I don't know what I will do without her.