Sophie is the most popular kid I know. Just a few weeks into the new school year, I’m having trouble keeping up with my 11-year-old’s social schedule. Last Sunday she was invited to a friend’s house for dinner, and another friend asked her out for ice cream. Another pal asked if she can have a […]

This morning my husband, daughters and I each took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I can think of worse ways to spend 15 minutes on a Saturday. There’s been a lot of curmudgeonly talk about this latest social media phenom, and I’ll admit to feeling a little icy toward it myself in recent days, as […]

Another big change in junior high: a strict dress code. The first couple days of school, Sophie was excited to wear her navy polo dress or a shirt and a khaki skort. By day three, she was rebelling — wanting to wear forbidden leggings, refusing to tuck in her shirt — and by the first […]

All summer long, Sophie was obsessed with plays — buying them, reading them, casting them. Because our local bookstore doesn’t stock any kid-oriented scripts, Sophie’s collection is a little odd for a tween: Our Town, the collected works of Neil Simon, and The Miracle Worker. Odder still for a kid with Down syndrome. I’m not […]

I met a woman yesterday. She and I have a lot in common. We both live in metro Phoenix, both write, both have blonde hair. We both have 13 year old daughters and like the same coffee shop. One big difference: This woman is pregnant with a baby that has Down syndrome. I was never […]