Welcome!

It’s a boy!

Next to my wedding day the birth of my two sons has to be the best two days of my life. Without a doubt the Lord has given me two precious treasures in my boys. Born less than 3 years apart, they are the light and joy in our home. They are funny, witty, and full of unconditional love for me and their dad. They are the best of friends, and sometimes the worst of enemies. With those two around there is never a dull moment, never a quiet one anyway, and never a clean floor.

I had no idea that day in the hospital all those years ago what lay in-store for me as a parent. I only knew that God had given me two children… both perfect (all 10 fingers and toes) and healthy.

As the years went by I began to notice that my oldest son was having issues learning. I thought the social challenges and learning struggles were because of his age… after all he was only in preschool two days a week plus the one day during the week I spent at church. Surely he would mature and grow out of this “phase”. But… as Kindergarten started the issues returned. This time the school began to take notice. They began a speech program to help him with the delayed speech. It helped but he was still struggling to learn the sounds letters make… still having difficulty paying attention (as if a Kindergartener is supposed to pay attention). 1st grade came and went. We had the same challenges that by this time we were blaming on the fact that he was “all boy”. He would grow out of it… but just in case…

At my request, the school began to test for different learning disabilities. We discovered a processing disorder and there was this pesky issue of a short attention span. We began tutoring and the school stepped up with a special program of their own. By the end of second grade it was becoming obvious the inability to pay attention was not something he would grow out of… it was the way his brain was wired. I still held out the hope that another summer of growing would change all that… I think that is called denial.

I guess I wasn’t exactly shocked when less than 2 months into the 3rd grade the IEP teacher approached me and made one simple statement as lovingly as she could. “I’m worried about your son… it has been over three years and the situation is not improving. I think it is time that we do some more testing.”

Maybe it was that moment that pushed me to the office of an expert in learning disorders. I was sick of guessing, I was sick of wondering… I wanted an answer. The doctor took one look at the summary of tests the school had run and said… your son is ADHD. That I had heard of… At least now it had a name… it was no longer a suspicion, it was a reality. A reality is something we can face, it is a challenge we can deal with… and I guess that is what brings me to this blog today.

I spent years denying, downplaying, excusing, and just plain old ignoring the obvious. I know I’m not alone. More and more children these days are facing the same issues. If it isn’t ADD or ADHD, it is another learning disorder or autism. As I have shared my journey with other women I’m learning there are a whole bunch of us out there going through the same thing. I’ve been blessed that this year God specifically placed me in a group of women that have walked this road or are walking this road. They have been willing to share with me the lessons they have learned through this process and they have encouraged me. If there is one thing I know with all my heart it is this… God wants us to help one another. He wants us to encourage one another. He wants us to draw strength and insight from our friends… and that is what this blog is all about. It is about walking this road together.

It is my prayer that God would use this website to encourage you… to give you a place to share your story, to give us a place to “talk” about the issues we face as mothers of children with learning challenges. But more than that, I pray that as we share we grow in the knowledge that God handpicked us to be mothers of amazing kids. Our children are His blessing on us and His gift to us. Ultimately they are His and only on loan to us.

We would love to hear from you, to learn from you, and to encourage you. This is a place where you can share. I believe it always helps to talk. If you would like to leave a comment just click the comment link below.

May God Bless you and your family… may we remember to be especially thankful for the precious heritage entrusted to us!

XO,

CJ