Seizing What Could Be
I was aware of the implications when I said it. I paused, and thought, “No way, is it?…Yes…it is.” Abuse. A word that I have not considered when it comes to childhood stuttering, but similar themes have been swirling in my head since walking alongside my son who stutters for the last two years. I
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
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
In January, the wonderful speech-language pathologist Ana Paula Mumy and I launched the first two iterations of the Every Waking Moment Book Club. We had one three-session club tailored to school-based SLPs, and another for clinical SLPs, with both eligible for continuing education credit. Each of the three two-hour sessions were based on the three parts in
Moments of stuttering are ever present in my mind from over 20 years ago. The feelings, emotions, and aftershock of each still vibrate through my mind and body, usually outside of my control. These are the imprints of stuttering that have lasted, impeded my life, and those that I’ve focused on to smooth over their
I take it for granted. I have no shame anymore. I can walk into every situation and disclose that I stutter without regard for the response. I’m not arrogant. I’m honoring the journey that it took to get here. Self-disclosure is not unique to stuttering but an invaluable skill that we must learn to attain social competency.
The ease of stuttering in front of new people is unsettling, as if it was more comfortable to do so with the expectation of someone laughing. It no longer feels like anyone will laugh or negatively react, and I don’t anticipate or expect it either. The unsettling nature comes from bracing for its impact for
Every Waking Moment 