10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RAISING A DIFFERENTLY WIRED CHILD

1: TAKE A PAUSE Transcript

Hey there, I’m Debbie Reber from Tilt Parenting. And if you’re watching this video, there’s a good chance you’ve recently gotten new information or insights into how your child is wired, or you’ve learned that your child is neurodivergent. Or maybe you don’t have any concrete diagnosis for your child, but you recognize that your child is in some way differently wired, and you’re realizing that your parenting journey is likely going to come with some additional challenges or considerations you weren’t prepared for.

You might be feeling overwhelmed right now, you might be feeling afraid, you might be experiencing sadness, you might just not know what you’re supposed to be doing next. Maybe you’re overwhelmed with information, or maybe you don’t have any information at all and therefore don’t know where to start. So where I would encourage you to begin is by TAKING A PAUSE. Take some time to digest new information you’ve learned or what it is that you’re coming to understand about your child. This is so important because I know that when we start to identify that our child has some unique needs, or that they’re going to need supports that we weren’t anticipating, we can quickly get caught up in “fix-it mode.”

It’s quite possible that you received information or feedback from some sort of professional — a pediatric neurologist, a neuropsych evaluator, an occupational therapist, a psychologist, an educator — and that that information came with recommendations for things you should start doing immediately. And it can all feel incredibly urgent and we may believe we have to get on this right away or it’s going to be too late.

And so I just want you to know this — there is time. You have time to take a pause. You have time to take a breath. You have time to digest and research and take the time you need so that you can be thoughtful about how you want to proceed, and do so in a way that is in alignment with your family’s values, and in a way that feels supportive and positive for you.

When we don’t take this pause, we are likely to dive into frantic fix-it mode, and that approach is often rooted in fear, and probably isn’t going to feel good for anyone involved. So let me just say this again — there is time. There is time for you, and for your child, and if you parent with a partner, for you and your partner, to take the time that you need. To connect with others who might offer insights, to figure out where your values are, to really work to understand who your child is and where they could most benefit from supports right now.

So take the time that you need and don’t let anyone force a timeline or agenda on you that doesn’t feel right to you. You are in the driver seat here. And you deserve to take that pause so that you can move forward in a way that feels good and can be most positive for you and your family.