Recalibrating - a Column by Elizabeth Hamilton

From the moment I moved out of my childhood home, traveling became a passion of mine. It wasn’t just about seeing new places or tasting unique cuisine. (Well, maybe food had a little to do with it.) It was mostly about seeing different ways of living and meeting new people.

I have two children who are incredibly different. One is outgoing, and one is shy. One likes to go with the flow, and the other came into this world with strong opinions. One has no known medical concerns, and the other, Amelia, 12, has Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). I’ve parented…

I love to travel. Being able to pack up quickly and go is something I value. It’s also a skill I’ve fostered in both of my daughters, Katherine, 14, and Amelia, 12. They’ve been able to pack their overnight bags since they were small. I love this level of independence…

During a recent layover at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, I learned some unexpected news about an upcoming pediatric clinical trial for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), the disease my 12-year-old daughter, Amelia, has. My flight to Chicago had been delayed by weather, which I find curious because the climate…

The pig was supposed to fly, but fear was holding her back. One summer night several years ago, I was watching the movie “Sing 2” with a child tucked under each arm. Both of my daughters were encouraging the character on screen to jump. Rosita, who my girls were…

“I know you!” The stranger’s surprise utterance greeted me at the elementary school of Amelia, my youngest daughter, who’s now 12. It happened years before she was diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). This type of encounter happened occasionally: A random stranger would recognize me, which caught me off…

The smooth, yellow rivets on the school bus caught my eye as it pulled up to pick up my 11-year-old daughter, Amelia. How often had I stared at them and not seen them? Then I noticed the grinning face of a young child waving at me through a window of…

“It’s not accessible enough.” That thought passes through my mind regularly as I look at the world. Not because of my younger daughter, Amelia, who has Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), but because of my mother. I’ve never fully understood my mother’s disability, and neither have many of the medical…

“Nope, not the same.” I’ve been saying that a lot recently. It might be my age. But it could be that I’m tired of the metaphorical yardstick we all seem to use, drawing comparisons between life experiences. Either way, I’ve been speaking and owning more of my truth about parenting…

I’m going to own it: I started 2024 with great ambition to work out more — followed by a fantastic lack of follow-through. My goal was to run a 5K race in the summer. I bought new shoes and started training, but after a few weeks, I struggled to find…