Noah's Dad

9 Lessons I Learned About Being A Good Dad By Having A Bad One

Rick Smith — June 16, 2013 — 28 Comments

Father’s day is always a bitter sweet time for me. As I scroll through my Facebook and Twitter feed on Father’s day I see countless posts of people posting pictures of their dads with captions such as: “Thankful to have such a wonderful dad!” “Grateful for this guy’s leadership in my life!” “So glad to have such a wonderful father!” “I love this man!”

As I read these posts I always feel disappointment and sadness since I cannot post a similar post about my dad. The truth is I don’t ever remember my dad saying he loved me. Ever giving me a hug. Ever going to church with us (much less ever praying for / with me.) My dad didn’t teach me how to shave, treat a woman, how to tie a tie (or how to light a pilot light in a water heater….I just had to call the gas company to show me how to light man…I was scared. Those things look scary.)

I love my father, but the truth (sadly) is that my dad was not a good dad.

In Parenting

3 Ways The Nuk Brush Can Help Your Child Learn To Eat

Noah's Mom, MD — June 14, 2013 — 17 Comments

I have come to the conclusion that getting over the mess is a big part of parenting. Noah is messy just eating with his own hands and today I am about to hand him a rocket launcher.

Until I had Noah I had no idea how important eating was to the strengthening of muscles in the mouth and eventual speech development. From breast feeding or bottle feeding to using a straw to moving solid food around your mouth with your tongue, all of this helps your mouth develop the ability to talk.

In Therapy, Uncategorized

NYC high line down syndrome child family nyc

Hi, I’m Noah’s Dad. Remember Me?

Rick Smith — June 7, 2013 — 145 Comments

Hi, I’m Noah’s dad, and I used to blog here. Does anyone remember?

Wow…! It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post and I miss it! While our Facebook page has remained very active the last few month, this blog has been sort of a digital ghost town.

For those of you wondering what happened to our regular blog posts about our son Noah let me calm your fears.

In Family

(Be sure to watch the Mother’s Day video from Kid President at the end of this post!)

This site may be named “Noah’s Dad,” but make no mistake about it, Noah’s mom keeps our house together! I could not ask for a more loving, kind, selfless wife and mommy to our son than my wife. I am so proud to live life with her. She makes my world 1,000,000 times more epic.

Posted by Rick Smith onMay 12, 2013 In Family

3 Comments

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“That’s So Retarded” – Why I Stopped Saying This, And You Should Too.

Rick Smith — March 6, 2013 — 6 Comments

I’m a work in progress. Every day of my life I hope I’m a better person than the day before. My life is a process of taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back but hey, 1 step forward is still a step forward. So I’ll take it.

“Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones But Words Will Never Hurt Me” = One Of The Most Inaccurate Sayings Of All Time

Let me just be very honest for a minute, prior to our son being born I used the word “retarded” pretty flippantly. I would use phrases like “that’s so retarded,” “don’t be retarded,” or “man…I’m so retarded” from time to time without ever even thinking I was using discriminatory language (or hate speech) toward an entire group of people.

In Family

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Abuse (And Murder) Of People With Special Needs Has To Stop!

Rick Smith — February 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

I came across a story in The Daily Mail about a 26 year old man with Down Syndrome, Robert Ethan Saylor, who was suffocated by police after not leaving a showing of the movie “Zero Dark Thirty” Robert’s death was ruled a homicide today. (Meaning these policeman killed this man.)

In Down Syndrome Resources

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I was working at a marriage conference this weekend and a kind girl and her husband came up and asked me if I was “Noah’s Dad.” I said I sure am! She went on to tell me that she was a teacher that works with children with special needs, many of whom were born with Down syndrome, and was a huge Noah fan!

Noah wasn’t with me but I told her that I’d have my wife bring him up for lunch on the following day so Noah could say hello (he loves meeting new people!)
Continue Reading…

Posted by Rick Smith onFebruary 17, 2013 In Family

3 Activities To Do Before Your Child Takes Their First Steps, Plus Noah Cruising On The Gait Trainer!

Rick Smith — February 11, 2013 — 1 Comment

Noah took his first steps on the gait trainer back in December. Do you remember how slow and timid he was? Things have definitely changed with that. He is a speed racer today and knocking into things for fun (typical boy). We don’t use the gait trainer that frequently, but we have come back to it as Noah is getting closer to walking on his own!

how to get baby with down syndrome to walk

Look at those little feet go!

In Therapy

Caption This Photo To Win Your Very Own Easy Turn Coupe!

That’s right, we’re giving away a brand new, shipped straight to your house, Step2 Easy Turn Coupe. And It couldn’t be easier to win. But let first let me take a minute to tell you just what makes the Easy Turn Coupe so awesome!

The Easy Turn Coupe Is Saving Lives!

Yes, you read it right. Saving lives.

Let me tell you how.
Continue Reading…

Posted by Rick Smith onFebruary 10, 2013 In Giveaways

9 Lessons I Learned About Being A Good Dad By Having A Bad One

3 Ways The Nuk Brush Can Help Your Child Learn To Eat

Hi, I’m Noah’s Dad. Remember Me?

“That’s So Retarded” – Why I Stopped Saying This, And You Should Too.

“Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones But Words Will Never Hurt Me” = One Of The Most Inaccurate Sayings Of All Time

Abuse (And Murder) Of People With Special Needs Has To Stop!

3 Activities To Do Before Your Child Takes Their First Steps, Plus Noah Cruising On The Gait Trainer!

Caption This Photo To Win Your Very Own Easy Turn Coupe!

The Easy Turn Coupe Is Saving Lives!

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