The Least of These

When Moms get together, sometimes big things happen.

Organizations like La Leche League, or Citzens for Midwifery get formed. People get encouraged, lives get shared, love gets passed around. And hopefully we are better equipped to go back to our children, our families, and do a better job being Mom.

Well, some of us Moms have started a new group. It's called Alphabet Soup Homeschoolers. We found each other through the Home For His Glory home-schoolers group here in Louisville. But our kids are different. They have special needs, special challenges and parenting them, not to mention home schooling them, is a bit more difficult at times than an otherwise already challenging job normally is.

The first time we got together, at a park, the kids got bored of playing before we moms got tired of talking to each other. The second time, at a McDonald's play place, the children could hardly hear themselves to play because the din of our conversation drowned everything out (just kidding...but still...you know what I mean).

So the yahoo list was born.

Now we have a location for monthly meetings, and guess what: Unofficially, it looks like I'm sort of kind of at the helm this time. Auuuuuuuuugh! People keep looking to me for leadership, and I keep stepping up to the plate. And God have mercy, I'm going to need grace for this one! The meetings are only once a month, so that will be manageable, I hope. I have a big notebook going these days, where I keep everything (The Big Book of Chaos and Disorder aka my Home Management Binder), so I can add an Alphabet Soup section to there. And hopefully my sieve-of-a-brain won't drop the ball too badly.

The plan is to at first get together and let the moms encourage one another while the kids play, but eventually we want to get some curriculum and form a social skills group for our kids. That might be challenging, because there are many different kids at different levels and ages with different types of diagnoses: ADD, ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, PDD-NOS, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Adoptive bonding issues...just a whole mixture of kids with special issues and the moms who are raising them.

And if I can give ONE other mother hope and encouragement that she will make it through, and that she is not alone, and that the difficulties she might be facing with her special needs child are not unusual given that diagnosis, then I will be happy.

Jesus said: "Whatever you have done unto the least of these, you have done it unto me." I hope this work pleases Him. Pray for me.

Comments

elizabeth said…
best wishes with this! one step at a time and I think it is really great that you are involved with this!
Has said…
Good on you! Meetings and administration are hard work. I'm sure you will be a great blessing to many mothers and families.