A review by bookdingo
My Baby Rides the Short Bus: The Unabashedly Human Experience of Raising Kids with Disabilities by Yantra Bertelli, Marcy Sheiner, Sarah Talbot, Jennifer Silverman
5.0
It isn't as though I needed this book. From January 2013 onward, I've been very much an advocate for my son after he was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. I've adopted person-first language and I get it right 98% of the time, I have a license plate border advertising the local DS association, and I upload dozens of pictures of my son so everyone can see how cute he is, because he is "more alike than different". But as I'm raising my son, I've been seeking more and more voices that "get it". There's so much material out there regarding grieving and support, but really, I just want to hear your day-to-day. What's your life like?
This book is a wonderful collaboration on just that - parents raising kids with special needs (they get it! they really get it!), and we're talking ALL kinds of special needs (including conditions I had never heard of - the human body has endless possibilities for turning out just a tad different) and a nice variety of parental backgrounds (immigrant, single-parent, LGBTQ, hippie, unschoolers). What I found in this book is the sigh of relief I've been seeking for over a year. To know that there are alternative folks out there that think the "Road to Holland" poem is a bunch of bunk, and they don't appreciate being aligned with a saint over doing what anyone would do: parent. Parenting is not easy and it isn't fun (except when it is. I think I have TOO much fun with it.).
I love the authors in this book for being honest and hilarious about the joys and difficulties, especially little things like trying to bond with other parents of kids with special needs. If that's the only thing you have in common, then that's not always a cheerful basis for friendship. I was particularly touched by all the stories regarding children with autism. To truly understand the spectrum, read this book.
My next mission is to find a collection of stories regarding more working parents. Many of the contributing authors in this collection are stay-at-home or work part-time. Where are my full-time parents at? Holler back!
This book is a wonderful collaboration on just that - parents raising kids with special needs (they get it! they really get it!), and we're talking ALL kinds of special needs (including conditions I had never heard of - the human body has endless possibilities for turning out just a tad different) and a nice variety of parental backgrounds (immigrant, single-parent, LGBTQ, hippie, unschoolers). What I found in this book is the sigh of relief I've been seeking for over a year. To know that there are alternative folks out there that think the "Road to Holland" poem is a bunch of bunk, and they don't appreciate being aligned with a saint over doing what anyone would do: parent. Parenting is not easy and it isn't fun (except when it is. I think I have TOO much fun with it.).
I love the authors in this book for being honest and hilarious about the joys and difficulties, especially little things like trying to bond with other parents of kids with special needs. If that's the only thing you have in common, then that's not always a cheerful basis for friendship. I was particularly touched by all the stories regarding children with autism. To truly understand the spectrum, read this book.
My next mission is to find a collection of stories regarding more working parents. Many of the contributing authors in this collection are stay-at-home or work part-time. Where are my full-time parents at? Holler back!