Seizing What Could Be
“Everyone, everyone, we got a job over here, 50 miles away. There’s a big hole that has to be filled. C’mon!” my son proclaimed to the entire gathering of parents and children at a 5-year-old friends’ birthday party. He was holding a pretend cellphone while straddling a big wheel atop the hill in their backyard.
I’m standing in the hallway listening to my son tell his stories before bed. He stutters through his words to find the right ones to explain something his imagination implores him to get out in that very instant. I say “goodnight” as I thought he was done, but as often is the case, he had
They did the best they could with what they had at the time. I would argue that most adults who stutter have uttered this line about how their stuttering was handled by their parents during childhood. I have myself. When I have said it, though, it is backs by years of coming to terms, reaching the
If you have lived with stuttering or another chronic difference, then you know the ups and downs, the oscillations between “good” and “bad” days, whatever your measure of such may be. There is a toll it takes, and you either submit to its demands or you build specific defenses—coping mechanisms—to withstand at least some of
There is no alternative. As time stands still, my heart stops, awareness heightens, hearing narrows, and I physically turn towards my son as I detect that he is about to speak. No matter what I’m doing or where I may be, he gets my undivided, hypervigilant attention. The seconds between first detection and the beginning
What follows is a deeply personal series of posts for National Stuttering Awareness Week describing my ongoing adjustment to parenting a son who stutters. Publicly sharing my experience is part of my effort to process this seldom discussed phase in the through life stuttering journey and an attempt to spotlight mental health awareness month, which
In mid-January, the wonderful speech-language pathologist Dr. Ana Paula Mumy and I launched the fourth iteration of the Every Waking Moment Book Club. This running—our largest yet—used the three sessions to cover the three parts in the book, Affliction, Transcendence, and Change—along with an introduction of the key terms and topics, discussion, and lengthy question and answer sections. Over 20
In September, the ever-passionate speech-language pathologist Dr. Ana Paula Mumy and I launched the third iteration of the Every Waking Moment Book Club. This running, the three-session club was tailored to school, private, and clinical-based SLPs, and was eligible for continuing education credit. We had 20 SLPs who showed up eager to participate and dive into the
This is the third post in a series on parenting a child who stutters as an adult who stutters. For context, I’ve worked hard to achieve my own personal version of self-acceptance of my stutter, and, therefore, may hold different perspectives on how best to support my son’s journey. I offer my story and that
This is the second post in a series on parenting a child who stutters as an adult who stutters. For context, I’ve worked hard to achieve my own personal version of self-acceptance of my stutter, and, therefore, may hold different perspectives on how best to support my son’s journey. I offer my story and that
Every Waking Moment 