On Thursdays there is a bounce in my step and smile on my face, knowing that later that night I will sit down, not to fold laundry or to review a stack of school papers. I will sit down with a splash of red wine and attempt to watch Parenthood completely uninterrupted, while my husband, a chair away, sits rolling his eyes dramatically.
I haven’t fought cancer, run for mayor or started my own charter school, but I am the mom of a special needs child and there is something powerful about Parenthood that completely connects me, something I will deeply miss.
It’s not just the chaotic kitchen scenes I can relate to, because at my house no matter how much mealtime prep I do, conducting multiple conversations, making three different dinners at one time and attending to kid’s drama, the noise level will rise—just like in Kristina’s kitchen.
It’s not the way I sometimes wear my yoga pants all day, carry around laundry baskets like props or smile at my husband in Kristina’s coquettish kind of style.
It’s not just the way Kristina displays endless patience, trying to support and befriend stubborn teachers who don’t understand her child's special needs, and then goes on to create a successful charter school designed to specifically serve her sons needs.
It is none and it is all of these things.
It is the way Max and his sister Haddie can just be together, in a real way, not caring for each other yet caring about each other at the same time. Unconditional love.
It is the way Kristina’s husband, Adam is almost always dialed in, and when he’s not, she tugs and pulls him into the present, where he accepts his reality and the tasks at hand.
It is the way her family proves again and again that it takes a village, by creating opportunities for Kristina’s son Max, and stepping in to make it possible for Adam and Kristina to escape on romantic weekend getaways.
It is the way Kristina maintains relationships with the women in her life, connections that aren’t driven by fancy lunches, or book club meetings, but instead by savoring the simple moments that happen as part of her every day.
It is the way that Kristina and Adam embraced the excitement of a third unexpected baby even though Adam had just lost his job and Kristina doubted her own mothering abilities, and that being the parents of a special needs child can be well, tiring.
I adore the lifestyle and romance of Grey's Anatomy and love the sizzling suspense of Scandal too, but Parenthood. Parenthood is just different. Parenthood is my weekly dose of inspiration.
Reminding me, that like Kristina—I can love my family, mother my children, live my life and follow my dreams with passion—and that with passion all things are possible.
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About the Author
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