Greetings everyone!
Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog.
I’m Mary and a very new “blogger”. My husband, Ross, and I live in New
York State with our wonderful daughters – Julia who is 10 and Hope who is 4 and Autistic.
And you guessed it…we are homeschoolers!
I am not sure what drove me to become a “blogger mommy”. I can assure you it is not due to boredom or lack of time.
After Hope was diagnosed with Autism, I knew in my heart I would homeschool her along with her sister. There was never a question in my mind as to whether I was doing the right thing. However, I was amazed how many people approached me to inform me of the great disservice I would be doing to her if I were to go ahead with it.
Family, other parents, therapists and “experts” all bombarded me with how Hope would only succeed if she were in a “special” school with others “like her”. At first, I shook them off, but after a while I did find myself doubting myself and questioning my plans. Was I hurting her? Was she better off in a program?
I tried to find an advocate who would be on my side – especially when it came time to dealing with the school district who would provide her services. But it was very difficult. There were plenty of advocates for homeschoolers and those for parents of Autistic children. But I couldn’t find support for parents of Autistic children who wanted to homeschool.
I took my dilemma to God. I prayed for wisdom to guide me. I asked to point me in the right direction. And yes – I believe I got my answer. One day, my friend was asking me how things were going. I didn’t say much to her. She admitted she did not know much about Autism but found a movie that I might find helpful. She handed me a DVD called Temple Grandin. It is the story of Temple Grandin, an AMAZING and yes - Autistic woman. I cried all the way through the movie. But at the end, there was no more confusion. I was going to homeschool my daughter. I realized that I am the one who knows best for her. And she will be better off because of it.
I hope that this blog can provide some comfort and support to those of you who are homeschooling your special needs children. Plus, if I can add a little humor to your day– that would be the icing on the cake!
And so our journey continues…
Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog.
I’m Mary and a very new “blogger”. My husband, Ross, and I live in New
York State with our wonderful daughters – Julia who is 10 and Hope who is 4 and Autistic.
And you guessed it…we are homeschoolers!
I am not sure what drove me to become a “blogger mommy”. I can assure you it is not due to boredom or lack of time.
After Hope was diagnosed with Autism, I knew in my heart I would homeschool her along with her sister. There was never a question in my mind as to whether I was doing the right thing. However, I was amazed how many people approached me to inform me of the great disservice I would be doing to her if I were to go ahead with it.
Family, other parents, therapists and “experts” all bombarded me with how Hope would only succeed if she were in a “special” school with others “like her”. At first, I shook them off, but after a while I did find myself doubting myself and questioning my plans. Was I hurting her? Was she better off in a program?
I tried to find an advocate who would be on my side – especially when it came time to dealing with the school district who would provide her services. But it was very difficult. There were plenty of advocates for homeschoolers and those for parents of Autistic children. But I couldn’t find support for parents of Autistic children who wanted to homeschool.
I took my dilemma to God. I prayed for wisdom to guide me. I asked to point me in the right direction. And yes – I believe I got my answer. One day, my friend was asking me how things were going. I didn’t say much to her. She admitted she did not know much about Autism but found a movie that I might find helpful. She handed me a DVD called Temple Grandin. It is the story of Temple Grandin, an AMAZING and yes - Autistic woman. I cried all the way through the movie. But at the end, there was no more confusion. I was going to homeschool my daughter. I realized that I am the one who knows best for her. And she will be better off because of it.
I hope that this blog can provide some comfort and support to those of you who are homeschooling your special needs children. Plus, if I can add a little humor to your day– that would be the icing on the cake!
And so our journey continues…
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