Episode 146: Karla Akins

Karla Akins, mother of 5, educator and author joins me today to have a conversation about her book A Pair of Miracles: A Story of Autism, Faith and Determined Parenting. Karla and her husband adopted twin boys 23 years ago who later were diagnosed with autism. One thing I like about Karla’s perspective is that she has parented through the stages. Her boys are 23 now. If you are a parent of a kid with autism, I think you will benefit from that perspective. We talk about facing hardship, helpful tips for parenting autistic kids, advice on how to handle siblings and what helped her when she was in the thick of raising her boys.

Links:

• Karla’s book: A Pair of Miracles: A Story of Autism, Faith and Determined Parenting

• Surviving Sarah episode with Dr. Caroline Leaf on how the mind can change the brain

Survival Kit:

• The Bible

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Karla:  Instagram // Website // Twitter // Facebook

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

• I think one of the most helpful things she talked about was how important it is to take care of yourself when you are facing something difficult. I am the first to admit that I don’t do self-care extremely well. Sometimes that’s because i think it has to be something big like going on a retreat, but self-care doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. I think it is good to break it down into daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. What can you do on a daily basis that is self-care? For me, its sitting in a quiet space with a hot cup of coffee in the morning. I have friends who take a daily bath. Or maybe its going for a walk. And then, think about your week. What is something you can do this week that breathes life into you? Is it a weekly trip to Barnes & Noble or a lunch date with a friend? These are all small things—not grand gestures—but they will replenish you. So, whatever you are facing, whatever is difficult or draining, build in self-care.

Discussion Questions

• What is something hard that you’ve faced?

• What helped you in the thick of that?

• What do you do for self-care?

• What is one thing you want to do this week based on today's conversation?

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

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