Episode 227: Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child with Debbie Reber

My personal friend and colleague Debbie Reber joins me on the YKAL podcast this week. She is a mother of a differently wired child and is the podcast host of TILT Parenting. Her book, Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World, comes out in spring 2018, which we talk about in this episode. As some of you may know my son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, sensory processing disorder, and anxiety disorder, at the age of 5. In this episode Debbie and I share some of our own experiences as parents of atypical children. Plus, we also talk about how having an exceptional child can bring up some of our own complicated and messy feelings and how we worked through them. Whether you are a parent of an exceptional child or a parent of a neurotypical child; the topics we cover are meant to offer support and understanding for everyone, even if you don’t have children. In this episode you’ll hear: Why we tend to isolate when faced with the situation of having an exceptional child (3 minutes and 59 seconds) Letting go of what others think about your child (atypical or not) when they go against social norms (8:39) The complexities of mourning your child’s diagnosis, dealing with the loss of the vision you had for them, and giving yourself time to mourn by politely telling people to f*ck off (12:05) Dealing with the expectations of parenting, with ourselves and with our children (13:31) Creating space where your child can feel secure (22:47) As more and more resources become available and exceptional children are being accepted in today’s society, hear Debbie’s vision and hope for the future of differently wired children (28:20) Also, join me on Thursdays at noon eastern time (9 Pacific) LIVE on Facebook or Instagram as I share a personal growth lesson. Tomorrow’s lesson is all about complaining! Lastly, both retreats for this year are sold out, but if you want to get on the waitlist/interest list, please sign up here. http://yourkickasslife.com/227 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices