The Family:
How do we meet their needs?
My best strategy for helping this family is:
- Open communication – I make sure mom/dad know that open dialogue is welcome and necessary.
- Flexibility – our ministry divides kids (primarily) by age. However, many kids with special needs are not developmentally consistent with their physical age. I like to work with mom/dad to find the best option for their child.
- Follow Up – I’ve found that mom/dad are hesitant to move their child up. Especially if they are doing well in the room they’re in. However, I’ve learned that often mom/dad need that gentle nudge encouraging them to allow their child to eventually move to a new room with a new age group. 9 times out of 10 mom/dad are surprised at how well their child does. So I set a reminder on my calendar to follow up with mom/dad anywhere from 6 to 12 months to visit this question.
Here is my philosophy: If I believe there are no accidents. If I believe God is the Orchestrator and the Creator of all things, then He crafted this family… one for the other. This child was crafted (special needs and all) to bring glory and honor to God. This child was created to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. Then I want to figure out a way to let the children come to Him and not hinder them. (Matthew 19:14)
December 29th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Gina, Thank you! Thank you for being so willing to understand where families like ours are coming from. Having your vision trickle down to the volunteers is exactly why we felt right at home with LifeChurch and why we have stayed put for the last 4 years. Taylor has gone through many class changes all being difficult on me and easy on him and the staff. Your 3 blogs are so perfect and in tune with our needs. Thank you!!!! Thank you for your patience, Thank you for your love of children like Taylor and Thank you for seeing that God created him just as he is for a bigger purpose than we can ever understand. I have seen him change lives already, just in his 7 years of life! And after a strong foundation that LifeChurch has helped us create in him I can’t even imagine all that he will do in the future!!! Thank you and God Bless!!!