Rachel Banning
Originally from the Wichita area, Rachel’s greatest adventure began 20 years ago when she married her husband. Together, they have one living child with Asperger’s (Dylan, ‘03) and one heavenly daughter with cerebral palsy (Mia, 2000-2013). She is a homeschool mom and business owner. Rachel is an unapologetic advocate for children of all abilities, a bookworm, and she will find any excuse to use her Kitchen Aid and wear Junior League red.
Raising Global Citizens by Hosting Foreign Exchange Students
Traveling abroad with small children simply wasn’t practical for our family. It was difficult to explore safely on our limited budget and accessibility. My husband and I wanted our children to do more than...
Dadentity :: When Being “Dad” Isn’t Enough
DAD-EN-TI-TY: noun. The state of being identified as a dad. (also known as DAD IDENTITY).
My husband takes the cake every year when it comes to "Father of the Year". He did the diaper changes and middle...
How to Survive Power Struggles
I like everyone to think that I have the cutest, perfectly well-behaved children. But the reality is that our son is constantly in trouble and into everything! He climbs, jumps, flips, flaps, rocks, spins, runs,...
How to Cope with Learning Differences :: Finding What Works for Your Child
When my son's P.E. teacher sent home a worksheet of the skeletal system along with a note that there would be a test next week covering the bones, I was baffled. Our son was...
It’s Not My Parenting, It’s Autism
My son was kicked off the school bus in first grade. He streaked down the hallways screaming at the top of his lungs the second day of school. He was suspended in second grade...
The Short of It :: Our Struggle with Pants
If you have an ultra-hyper sensory aware child, you understand the struggle clothing poses as a major dilemma in everyday life. Starched new clothes can bring our morning routine to a complete stop for...
What “Happily Ever After” Really Looks Like
I cried the first two weeks after my wedding.
To be fair, I was young, idealistic and had never lived with a male prior to our marriage. Did all men strip in the living room with the...
Allowing Kids to Fail in Safety :: Advice from A Control Freak’s Kitchen
I hear feet shuffle into the kitchen. Next, the pantry door creeks open and close. A few seconds later, the refrigerator doors open and I hear the maneuvering of containers and jars rattle, then...