back in february, i shared this post on my instagram, @blushbyvievebeauty. a couple pictures, a few thoughts, a small portion of my thoughts from that day —>
y’all. can we be honest and chat for a minute?? ☕️ being a mama is tough. it’s hands down the best job ever 🙌but seeing our babes struggle, go through hard things, letting them grow and explore and learn things themselves- it’s not easy. it takes prayer and vulnerability and love. and somedays- it calls for a little one on one donut date 🍩watching her twirl as if she didn’t have a care in the world 🌎 watching her eyes in wonder at the littlest sights ✨listening to every little thought about every little thing 💭 then letting her take the reigns, getting in front of the camera, while she directed and told me where to sit and what to do with my hands ✌️ this morning was exactly what my mama heart needed 🖤 lissa loo- you have a heart of gold pretty girl ✨
today, i’m ready to go a little deeper into these thoughts, share a little more. that morning, before the donut date, we went in for an evaluation for lissa and it was confirmed that yep, this wild child, heart of gold, free spirit girlie of mine has dyslexia.
i will be honest, i didn’t know much about dyslexia then and i’m still learning all i can. but i homeschool our kids y’all. i had been watching her, her learning styles, the struggles, the transposing, all of it. and looking back, it is so beautiful seeing god’s hand in the weeks here.
before her evaluation or before even knowing i needed to schedule one, i had a hair cut with a new gal, off of a friends recommendation, who chatted and shared with me about her son’s recent dyslexia diagnosis during my haircut, without me sharing anything about lissa and my concerns. that same night, i went to a school meeting that i thought was necessary for ben’s speech therapy but actually wasn’t and ended up meeting the dyslexia specialist for our school district. when i reached out to set up an evaluation for lissa, she was somehow able to get us right in, complete the whole thing in one visit and then share with me pretty quickly where we were at. that wasn’t all just happen stance. that was god’s hand, answering my prayers for direction with how to best help lissa and her schooling.
as her dyslexia was confirmed, i didn’t feel sad, i didn’t feel angry or hurt- y’all her mind is a beautiful thing and watching her think is fascinating. that morning, i had a neighbor helping watch the other kids for me. so after leaving the evaluation i took lissa out on a one on one date. i asked her where she wanted to go and she wanted donuts- of course! we drove to find a cute little donut shop on Main street and i told lissa she got to pick any donut she wanted! her reply- “well logan needs that glaze one for sure because thats his favorite. and ben will definitely love the brown chocolate one because brown is his favorite color of course! and i think madilyn will want that apple fritter one. don’t you think mom?” not even for one second did it occur to her that she was the only one i had planned on buying a donut for. her little heart of gold had seen her siblings favorites and couldn’t wait to take them home and surprise them.
we walked around, we popped in a few shops together, she chatted about everything under the sun and it was the best time with her. in that moment, being honest, my heart hurt. i worried about the struggles she would face, how would i ever know how to best help her and teach her but watching her, i found strength. i felt peace. god brought us peace that morning.
i began reading. i got on amazon to buy books and new workbooks and games. i googled. i reached out to mama friends who had dyslexic kids. i read. i read some more. i prayed and prayed some more. i recognized many dyslexic traits in madilyn, i learned that ben’s speech apraxia is a verbal form of dyslexia. so many things i had been watching, were explained and i had a way to help! now do i know all the dyslexia things? the best tools, curriculum, methods, programs, etc?? nope. i sure don’t. but i do know that our lissa loo has a heart of gold and i am in her corner and i am ready to help each of our children learn the best way for them.
it’s interesting because looking back, as i’ve said many times with homeschooling, we didn’t know why we started homeschooling. i didn’t want too. we moved here for the school districts. but we felt years ago god pushing us to homeschool. and yes i may have began homeschooling a little begrudgingly, a little unsure of myself, and a little curious as to why. but i have fallen in love with homeschooling. i’m grateful that we are homeschooling and creating that space for each of our children to learn best for them, in their own way and in their own time.