For those of you who are speech therapy veterans, sometimes finding the positive can be difficult. Months and years of therapy can create the feeling that things are never going to be “normal” or “easy” for your child.  As our tagline states, we work hard to provide “Therapy for Thriving.”  What is thriving to you?

For each parent, their specific goals in therapy can be different. But I believe that for all parents, we simply want our kids to be happy, confident, and productive.  We want our children to embrace themselves, advocate for themselves, and feel secure in their own skin. 

An AHA! moment happened to me this summer.  My family and I were spending a beautiful day at Lake Oconee, when I came across a boogie board that I used as a child. This board is easily 30 years old!! I have two daughters; the youngest is a daredevil and will try just about anything that makes me and my husband nervous, while the eldest is very cautious, nervous to try new things, especially physically complex things that require motor planning (coordinating body movements).  My youngest hopped onto the boogie board behind the boat, settled in, and rode like a champ over the waves. My oldest…not so much. Gentle insistence on my part finally got her onto the board (a feat in itself!), me riding with her (holding on for my life!) was the next big step for her.  I was determined to have a “GREAT MOMMY MOMENT.” During our very slow and not bumpy ride, I purposely repeated the following few phrases with excitement; “wow! you did it,” “you are so brave,” “you were nervous but you tried anyways and now you realized it is fun,” “I am so proud of you for trying something new.”

In the end, she got off that board with the biggest smile, proudly telling everyone that weekend that she rode mommy’s old boogie board even though it was a little scary!

I believe that knowing your child, who they are and what they need in the moment is so powerful.  Sometimes we have to use our mommy instincts to anticipate what our child will feel, know when to push (gently), how to encourage our children to see the positive, and most importantly, to empower them at every opportunity to overcome their individual obstacles and be the best THEM they can be!