Baton Rouge Business Report

There was an article about me in the Baton Rouge Business Report this month so I thought I would share. The picture is a little goofy, but fun. We are hard at work on our IPhone App and I am very excited about our progress. We hope to have it finished within a few weeks so I will post the release on my blog.

Have a great day!

Using Silence to Listen

The most precious things in speech are the pauses
~Sir Ralph Richardson

I share this quote today to remind us to remember the pauses when having a conversation. This is especially important when talking with a child or an adult with speech difficulty. So many times we "self-talk" in an attempt to fill in the space when communicating with someone with a speech impairment but, more often than not, that pause is what they need to take their turn in the conversation. The silence may be just the opportunity they are waiting for in terms of attempting to speak. It is also important to remember that their turn is not limited to words - watch for facial movements, gestures, and body language and acknowledge the meaning within the exchange. Something as simple as an eye gaze towards a photograph or picture can speak volumes if we respect the pauses and take time to listen.

ODE TO SPECIAL MOMS

Ode to Special Moms

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social 
pressures and a couple by habit.

This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children.
 Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for 
propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs
 his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint, Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, 
patron saint, Cecilia.

"Rudledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint, give her Gerard. He's used to 
profanity."

Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped 
child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," says God. "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does 
not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of 
self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll 
handle it.

"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is 
so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give 
her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not 
going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just 
enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, 
she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child
 less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. 
She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 
'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will 
be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset 
to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations.

"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see . . . ignorance, 
cruelty, prejudice . . . and allow her to rise above them. She will never 
be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, 
because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, pen poised midair.

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

- Erma Bombeck, May, 1980

Play Is Work

For children, playing is more than just play - it is work. They are working to learn about themselves and the world around them. They are working to learn how to interact using words, what words mean, and how to put words together to express thoughts and ideas. They are working to learn how to solve problems, store memories, and to remember new information. They are working to learn how to grasp, to carry things, run, to climb and to balance. They are also working to learn how to negotiate, to cooperate, and how to play by the rules.

Theodore Roosevelt once said "Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing" - so remember to always work hard to play with your children to give you both a chance at one of life's best prizes - work worth doing!

Working hard as an adult to play seems silly to you I am sure - I mean how hard can it be? - it's only playing. The surprising answer is that it is much harder than you would think and many grown-ups, it turns out, are not such naturals at great playing after all so check back tomorrow for some tips on how to be a better playmate to your child.