Child of God

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16). I LOVE this verse from the Bible! It is one of my favorites. I taught a lesson on this a few weeks ago in Sunday School. There is a confidence that comes from knowing that you are God's child with divine potential: "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ " (Romans 8:17).

Of all the titles that we have in this world, I think this one is the one that can instill the most worth in a person. Think how differently we would treat each other if all business cards said: Tamara Anderson (insert your name), Child of God, and then the other titles. It seems that no other title has as much worth as knowing your worth and value as a child of God! I also think we would treat each other with more respect if we saw each individual we met as a child of God.

“Consider the power of the idea taught in our beloved song ‘I Am a Child of God’… Here is the answer to one of life’s great questions, ‘Who am I?’ I am a child of God with a spirit lineage to heavenly parents. That parentage defines our eternal potential. That powerful idea is a potent antidepressant. It can strengthen each of us to make righteous choices and to seek the best that is within us. Establish in the mind of a young person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God, and you have given self-respect and motivation to move against the problems of life” (Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, Nov. 1995, 25).

I invite all of us to remember who we really are and act accordingly. So, today commit to answer and act on the following: Because I am a Child of God, today I will....

Have a great day!

"No" To Everything!

Everything is "NO" this morning. Today is a super-late start at the High School because of a Pre-ACT being administered. Do you have any idea what this change of schedule does to kids on the autism spectrum? Yes, I have had it written on my calendar for several weeks now...but I feel like I am at my wits end with what to do with Nathan this morning.

I figured I would do a "summer schedule" morning for him where we go biking, take a shower, read a book on tape, then do a puzzle. These are things he happily did in the summer or even on Saturday or Sunday. But "NO, MOM this isn't the summer or the weekend," (I'm sure that is what he would tell me if he could communicate) so why in the world would I give him these choices?

I finally got him to take a shower (very unhappily) and he is now sitting in the car after throwing a tantrum and refusing to do everything on the list. He wants me to take him to school...sigh! I can't do that until about an hour from now.

He keeps telling me "2:00. Time to go home." I translate this to, "I think it is time for me to go home from school now and do the things I do after school." Sigh!

Well, wish me luck! It can only get better from here on out...right?

The Disneyland Disability Pass

Last Fall we took the kids to Disneyland for the first time since Jordan and Nathan were REALLY little. It was a real leap of faith taking a child with autism to such a busy, crowded place. In preparation for our trip I had written "Disneyland" on our calendar. Nathan was quite upset by this and kept getting mad and erasing it. He didn't WANT to go to Disneyland (in fact our second morning there he was screaming at the top of his lungs in our hotel lobby, "No Disneyland, No Disneyland!!!. Talk about a stressful situation!

I must praise Disneyland for their Disability pass. It truly saved our vacation! They gave us this passport with Nathan's photo in it and then they had us go to these stations around the park where we would tell them we wanted to "It's a Small World" and they would look at the wait time and see it was 30 minutes and then they would shave off 10 min (because we had to walk to these stations) and tell us that we needed to show up at the fast-pass lane or walk in the exit in 20 minutes. That enabled us to do our waiting in a less crowded environment (which was a million times better for our little boy and everyone that would have waited in line with us). A tantruming 16-year-old is quite a sight to behold.

It was still stressful, but we made it much longer each day (Nathan was ready to leave after about an hour and a half) because Disneyland was so helpful! They also gave us these 3 passes each day that enabled us to go on a ride without going to the stations. Anyone who works with these kiddos with autism knows that there are things that they like that they want to ride over and over and over and over. For Nathan it was "Its a Small World" and the "Cars" ride. My other kids were so sick of "It's a Small World" by our 2nd day there, but Nathan could have ridden it all day long!

On the other hand, Nathan didn't like "Pirates of the Caribbean." I was sad about this because I LOVE that ride, so even though we had it listed on our passport a second time, Nathan refused to go, and the rest of us couldn't use the passport without him.

We also brought Nathan's Ipad...and couldn't have made it through those long days without it! I was so thankful for the Disability Pass and the Ipad! They made it possible for us (along with many hear-felt prayers) to stay together as a family--so that one of us us parents didn't have to go back to the hotel with Nathan while the rest stayed and played.

All in all, we were thankful to be able to go on a family vacation! The kids all loved it! But I don't think I will be writing "Disneyland" on my calendar again anytime soon:).

Power of Music

Each child has their strengths. My children seem to especially love music. I think God knew what He was doing when He sent them to me because I LOVE music as well and have been involved with directing choirs for years.

Noelle started orchestra this morning. She chose to play the violin, whereas her brothers play the cello. It will be fun to hear them playing together as they get older. Here is a photo of her with a violin that is 1/16 the normal size. Did you have any idea they made them this small? She will be playing a full-size violin and will continue with piano.

Jacob, although he is high-functioning on the autism spectrum, has LOVED playing the cello and the piano. Now he wants to learn to play the guitar, left-handed (even though he is right-handed). Not sure how that one is going to play out.

Nathan, though low-functioning on the autism spectrum, LOVES music. He is constantly singing. He won't ever sing when everyone else does, but he loves music. When he is mad, it calms him down. It is a very important tool in our home.

Jordan also loves music and is loving his senior year taking 3 choir classes (two vocal choir classes and one where he plays the bells). He too has been blessed by the power of good music and has told me that music helps him to keep temptation away when he listens to it.

I am thankful for the power of good music. It can drive the blues away, it can teach kids rhythm, counting, math, and it is a second language to learn to read. I hope schools continue to value the arts. They are so important!

18 Years

My oldest son, Jordan, turned 18 this weekend. It has made me reflect on how quickly the last 18 years seem to have flown by. Part of me is so happy to see him growing up into such a wonderful young man. Another part of me was a little teary as I realized that by this time next year he will have "flown the coop."

He is a wonderful, sweet, caring, fun-loving young man and I feel privileged to be his mom.

Pretty Just the Way You Are

As I was tucking my daughter in bed last week she was telling me how so many of the girls in her grade are wearing makeup (she is in 6th grade). She said, "I just want to go tell them that they are beautiful without makeup. They don't need to wear it to be pretty."

I thought to myself, "God bless you! Stay this sweet always!"

No Mondays!

"No, meat! No pretzels! No cookie!!!" This is how my morning started. Nathan didn't want anything in his lunch today--not even a cookie. This is coming from a boy who stealthily snitches any sweet thing that is in sight or out of sight. Everything was "NO!" By the time his bus came, it was "No school!" Sigh! I walked him out to the bus and he got on anyway.

Most days he is a happy, sweet boy...but maybe Monday mornings are an exception to that rule this week! Have a great day everyone...and no cookies! ;)

A Little Fire

Sometimes I feel like the cartoon with the fire coming out of my head--especially when I feel my "mama bear protector" side needs to come out. There are things I feel passionate about defending and my family definitely ranks up in that area. I have never been one of those push-over mamas. I think I like to get on my little soap-stand and holler a little if I feel things are not the way they should be.

Granted, this little fire inside of me has helped me get and keep the extra services my special needs kiddos need in school and it has come in handy in many a situation. But sometimes I think it raises my blood pressure a little too much and stresses my family out.

Tonight my fire got lit when I found out my son had to pay a $50 reservation fee at a local restaurant for Homecoming. When I asked him why (because I've never had to pay a reservation fee) and he couldn't answer me, my mama bear came out. Several phone calls later, (because the kid at the restaurant couldn't answer my questions) I finally got ahold of the manager who was able to placate me with a simple explanation. (And no, I didn't yell at any of them, but I was going to track down that answer if it killed me).

I think I stressed my poor son out with my questions/reaction and I had to apologize. Mom doesn't want to see her son taken advantage of, and even though he is almost 18, I still feel quite protective of him.

Sigh! I've got to find the balance between being protective and over-reacting. Does anyone have any tips? Maybe someday I'll get it right. Thank goodness for repentance and forgiveness.

My Singing Boy

Most 16-year-old boys won't sing, and my Nathan won't usually sing when anyone else is singing, but if he is by himself--just listen to him go! Tonight I sat down at the piano and played children's songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man," "If You're Happy and You Know It..." Every song I played, Nathan happily sang all the words. It was a sweet moment.

Of course, I dramatically clapped for him at the end of each song, and he usually wanted to sing his favorite part of the song over and over and over. But, that is what kids with autism do.

I just felt blessed that we were interacting and having a great time together. It isn't like I can sit down and ask him about his day or have him tell me what he wants to do when he graduates from high school. No, that will never happen with my Nathan, but I am satisfied by little moments like this where we interact in a fun way.