Why My Kids With Disabilities Don’t Make Me a ‘Special Type of Person’
God gives special children to special parents. I could never do what you do. When my daughter was born with Down syndrome, we didn’t get the same cheery congratulations we received when my oldest was born — a typical child. Instead, we got “I am sorry” and even those...
Why I Choose Not to Write Personal Details About My Children With Disabilities
A couple of days ago my oldest daughter said, “My friend is following you on Instagram.” I did’t give it much thought initially, but when I thought about the pictures I share and the words I write — especially about my children with disabilities — I felt a...
Dear Mom of a Child With a Disability, I Celebrate You
Having a child with a disability can make life different from what other moms of typical children experience. On a day like Mother’s Day, while friends receive cards from their kids, breakfast in bed as a result of the loving attempt from little chefs, and homemade...
When Mama Needs Help
Some challenges are hard to write about because they expose the raw we carry inside. But sometimes we have to talk about what it is like parenting in the trenches — whatever that means for you — because what I am writing here is about you, the parent, and...
Children with Disabilities are a Blessing, Not a Burden
All children are a blessing. I don’t believe there’s an exception to that statement, which means kids with disabilities are as much of a blessing as if they didn’t have a disability. One is not better than the other. Different? Yes. More challenging? Sometimes. But a...
Ellen Stumbo writes and speaks about finding beauty in brokenness with gritty honesty and openness. She's passionate about sharing the real – sometimes beautiful and sometimes ugly – aspects of faith, parenting, special needs, and adoption. Ellen’s writing has appeared on Focus on the Family, LifeWay, MomSense, Not Alone, Mamapedia and the Huffington Post.