My father died in December. He had spent the last several years very unwell, and my mother spent a lot of her time taking care of him. That is a difficult situation for any family, but it is even more difficult when the person you are caring for continuously makes choices that contribute to their bad health. And so, although he was a loved man, the result was a team of fairly frustrated family members. My biggest frustration was trying to understand why he didn’t make choices that would allow him to be involved more fully in the lives of … Continue reading →

I wanted to stop in and say hello to all the PTPA fans and take a quick moment to introduce myself. My name is Mariah and I’m a thirty-something (I remember when my mom watched that show) new mom to my amazing little man, who was born late 2010. I’m also a full-time elementary school teacher and am gearing up to begin my 7th year of teaching. I’ve been married for 3 years and met my wonderful husband on  Match.com. Yes, internet dating can work! Actually, I know a number of couples who have found love and are happily married as … Continue reading →

I’m a little bit nosey and don’t pretend otherwise. On my recent travels to a conference, I injected myself into a couple of situations that were none of my business. I just couldn’t help it. The first was on my way to the conference. Across the aisle from me sat a mother and her surfer dude teenaged son. He was polite, respectful, handsome – he pretty much had all the qualities I hope my kids have as teenagers. He also happened to be living with Down Syndrome. At one point he was making a few noises. I didn’t take much … Continue reading →