Bove, also talked about the “Welcome to Holland” story and marveled that “little things that are maybe cheesy for some people” helped her to rethink her situation: You find strength in things that have happened negatively and you can turn them good, and I think that has helped me. And you always wonder–what makes you turn that over? Is it God? Is it that you’re lucky that you view things this way? I don’t know…You can either look at it negatively, like “boo hoo, poor me,” or you can look at Holland and all the beautiful things it has.NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptIndicative of the way that these discourses are shaped locally by the networks that circulate them, Karen’s reference to the story did not shorthand “blue tulips” or even mention them at all. Karen also thought of the story as speaking to a more general perspective on life, not solely to the experience of raising a child with disabilities. She said of the story, “I kept that from high school…and then to go back and read that later after I had a special child, you can apply that to any part of your life and how you want to view things.” Some mothers, like Wanda above, referenced another text, a poem called Heaven’s Special Child (author unknown, n.d.). This poem is widely available on the Internet, but L868275 price mothers who mentioned it had usually received it from people who knew of their child’s disabilities. In this poem, the angels meet in heaven to decide who will receive a special child: “Please, Lord find the parents who/Will do this special job for you/They will not realize right away/ The leading role they’re asked to play/But with this child sent from above/Comes stronger faith and richer love.” Janet received this poem in an anonymous letter. She said, “ThoseIntellect Dev Disabil. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 July 5.Michie and SkinnerPagekinds of things are comforting, that God didn’t pick you and say, `Okay, this is your punishment.'” The poem’s message, of the blessings that come from raising a child with a disability, not only gives comfort but also facilitates a reinterpretation of these mothers’ situation: raising a child who, in the words of the poem, will “require much extra care / From all the folks she meets down there.” Reframing and Reconciliation Wanda had reframed her experiences parenting two boys with FXS within a religious perspective, confident that there was purpose behind every turn her life had taken. Her account touched on several themes that commonly appeared in other mothers’ narratives: having her children saved her from taking a ruinous path, being especially prepared for the responsibility of parenting children with disabilities, and being the best Cibinetide site choice for the challenging task she had been handed. Sandra, mother of both a son and daughter with FXS, told a similar story: I, by the time I was in fifth grade, knew how to read and write Braille. So I would type up the worksheets for the kids [who were blind] that were in the class. And my mom, without sounding mean, said, “I don’t know where you get that from. You don’t get it from me.” I think that I had been prepared my whole life for this. Of course, I don’t know why; I have no idea why. I think probably I was a bit of a wild thing in college. I think I just needed to be grounded again. I don’t know, I don’t know why else. It’s really odd. Why did I do all these things? It’s not upsetting to me. I meet mothers every day–a woman called me t.Bove, also talked about the “Welcome to Holland” story and marveled that “little things that are maybe cheesy for some people” helped her to rethink her situation: You find strength in things that have happened negatively and you can turn them good, and I think that has helped me. And you always wonder–what makes you turn that over? Is it God? Is it that you’re lucky that you view things this way? I don’t know…You can either look at it negatively, like “boo hoo, poor me,” or you can look at Holland and all the beautiful things it has.NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptIndicative of the way that these discourses are shaped locally by the networks that circulate them, Karen’s reference to the story did not shorthand “blue tulips” or even mention them at all. Karen also thought of the story as speaking to a more general perspective on life, not solely to the experience of raising a child with disabilities. She said of the story, “I kept that from high school…and then to go back and read that later after I had a special child, you can apply that to any part of your life and how you want to view things.” Some mothers, like Wanda above, referenced another text, a poem called Heaven’s Special Child (author unknown, n.d.). This poem is widely available on the Internet, but mothers who mentioned it had usually received it from people who knew of their child’s disabilities. In this poem, the angels meet in heaven to decide who will receive a special child: “Please, Lord find the parents who/Will do this special job for you/They will not realize right away/ The leading role they’re asked to play/But with this child sent from above/Comes stronger faith and richer love.” Janet received this poem in an anonymous letter. She said, “ThoseIntellect Dev Disabil. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 July 5.Michie and SkinnerPagekinds of things are comforting, that God didn’t pick you and say, `Okay, this is your punishment.'” The poem’s message, of the blessings that come from raising a child with a disability, not only gives comfort but also facilitates a reinterpretation of these mothers’ situation: raising a child who, in the words of the poem, will “require much extra care / From all the folks she meets down there.” Reframing and Reconciliation Wanda had reframed her experiences parenting two boys with FXS within a religious perspective, confident that there was purpose behind every turn her life had taken. Her account touched on several themes that commonly appeared in other mothers’ narratives: having her children saved her from taking a ruinous path, being especially prepared for the responsibility of parenting children with disabilities, and being the best choice for the challenging task she had been handed. Sandra, mother of both a son and daughter with FXS, told a similar story: I, by the time I was in fifth grade, knew how to read and write Braille. So I would type up the worksheets for the kids [who were blind] that were in the class. And my mom, without sounding mean, said, “I don’t know where you get that from. You don’t get it from me.” I think that I had been prepared my whole life for this. Of course, I don’t know why; I have no idea why. I think probably I was a bit of a wild thing in college. I think I just needed to be grounded again. I don’t know, I don’t know why else. It’s really odd. Why did I do all these things? It’s not upsetting to me. I meet mothers every day–a woman called me t.
