Parenting a neurodivergent child: the work nobody sees
You rehearse a sentence three times before you say it to someone who has your child's file open in front of them.
Fighting for your kid in school meetings, holding it together in the car and then falling apart in the driveway.
The school's number lights up your phone in the middle of your workday, and your stomach drops before you've even said hello.
Nobody asks the parent doing all of it what they need. They ask how your kid is doing. How's school going? Whether the new thing is working. All good questions. Not one of them is about you.
You can love your child more than anything in this world and still be quietly grieving in the middle of their assessment. No one warns you that's coming.
I've sat on both sides of this table.
I'm a Registered Social Worker who has run developmental and autism assessments with more than 320 families, and I'm a mom too: when my son started school, the school system was never prepared for his exceptional needs.
Whether you're homeschooling to protect your child's light or staying in the system to demand change, I see you, and I'm with you.
A building that isn't set up for your child says nothing about your parenting. It sure feels like it does, and that's the part that fools you.
A tailored, compassionate team that's willing to learn about your child is what every kid should get. If you don't have one yet, that isn't because you asked for too much.
How does your body feel?
This hour is yours, not your child's file.
In order to heal, you need a place where you can be honest. A place where your whole story can breathe. A place where your body feels safe enough to let its guard down and your experiences can be met with compassion instead of judgment.
Grief and joy aren't opposites; they live side by side. We grieve so we can carry it, and still make room for the love, the laughter, the connection that's right here too.
We meet online, in English or in French, at a pace that fits your life. If today's the day you'd rather not do this alone, book a Java Chat. Fifteen free minutes, let's have a coffee.