ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jolene Philo has been a teacher for 25 years and has published numerous articles on parenting a special needs child and preparing children for a hospital stay. She is the author of Different Dream Parenting and Different Dream Parenting: A Practical Guide to Raising a Child with Special Needs and a regular contributor to a regional monthly women’s magazine, has spoken to MOPS groups, and is a commentator for Iowa Public Radio’s “Iowa Voices.” She and her husband have two children and live in Boone, Iowa.Visit the author’s website.
SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTIONS:
Different Dream Parenting: Parents of a special needs child will benefit by Jolene Philo’s handbook of resources, inspiration and tested wisdom. Practical strategies and spiritual reflections are balanced with resources for aid and information. From becoming an effective advocate for your child, dealing with hospitalization, to family concerns and long-term care, Philo presents wisdom from voices of experience. Hope-giving help, resources and direction are clearly provided for parents of a child with a medical condition, behavioral or educational concerns.
AND NOW…an excerpt:
Different Dream Parenting Excerpt:
I Didn’t Sign Up for This,
God!
God!
Have
you ever had one of those dreams where
you can’t move? The car is racing toward the edge of a cliff and you can’t lift
your foot to press the brake pedal. An attacker is breaking down the door to
your house and you can’t raise your arm to dial 911. Your child is about to run
in front of a truck and you can’t open your mouth to scream.
you ever had one of those dreams where
you can’t move? The car is racing toward the edge of a cliff and you can’t lift
your foot to press the brake pedal. An attacker is breaking down the door to
your house and you can’t raise your arm to dial 911. Your child is about to run
in front of a truck and you can’t open your mouth to scream.
My
bad dream became a reality in 1982. My husband and I stood beside our son’s
isolette in the neonatal intensive care unit. An IV needle pierced Allen’s tiny
arm, and angry red scars crisscrossed his chest. One end of his feeding tube
hung on a pole beside his IV bag. The other end rose from the soft skin of his
tummy. Pain etched his wide forehead and tugged at the corners of his perfect
rosebud mouth.
bad dream became a reality in 1982. My husband and I stood beside our son’s
isolette in the neonatal intensive care unit. An IV needle pierced Allen’s tiny
arm, and angry red scars crisscrossed his chest. One end of his feeding tube
hung on a pole beside his IV bag. The other end rose from the soft skin of his
tummy. Pain etched his wide forehead and tugged at the corners of his perfect
rosebud mouth.
More
than anything, I wanted to reach out and take his hurt away. But I was trapped
in a bad dream. Immobilized. Inadequate. Helpless. Though God had assigned me
to love and care for this beautiful child, I could do nothing to minimize his
pain. My thoughts were an inward scream. This isn’t what I signed up to do,
God! I don’t want to be a helpless onlooker. I want to parent my child. How can
I care for him? What can I do?
than anything, I wanted to reach out and take his hurt away. But I was trapped
in a bad dream. Immobilized. Inadequate. Helpless. Though God had assigned me
to love and care for this beautiful child, I could do nothing to minimize his
pain. My thoughts were an inward scream. This isn’t what I signed up to do,
God! I don’t want to be a helpless onlooker. I want to parent my child. How can
I care for him? What can I do?
As
the parent of a child with special needs, you’ve probably experienced the same
sense of helplessness. Whether your child is critically or chronically ill,
mentally or physically impaired, develop- mentally or behaviorally challenged,
you want to do something. You want to ease your child’s pain, but you don’t
know how. You want to help your child realize his or her full potential, but
you don’t know where to begin. You want to ask God about your child’s
suffering, but you don’t want to be condemned for questioning His wisdom. You
want to believe God is with you, but you don’t know how to find Him.
the parent of a child with special needs, you’ve probably experienced the same
sense of helplessness. Whether your child is critically or chronically ill,
mentally or physically impaired, develop- mentally or behaviorally challenged,
you want to do something. You want to ease your child’s pain, but you don’t
know how. You want to help your child realize his or her full potential, but
you don’t know where to begin. You want to ask God about your child’s
suffering, but you don’t want to be condemned for questioning His wisdom. You
want to believe God is with you, but you don’t know how to find Him.
You’re
stuck in a bad dream. You can’t move. You can’t speak. You want someone to
shake you awake and tell you everything will be okay. Instead, you wake up and
must become the parent you never expected to be. You doubt that you’re up to
the task. You’re worried about your child’s future. And you’re wondering, Does
anyone understand what I’m experiencing?
stuck in a bad dream. You can’t move. You can’t speak. You want someone to
shake you awake and tell you everything will be okay. Instead, you wake up and
must become the parent you never expected to be. You doubt that you’re up to
the task. You’re worried about your child’s future. And you’re wondering, Does
anyone understand what I’m experiencing?
The
answer is yes, many parents understand your situation. In the United States,
answer is yes, many parents understand your situation. In the United States,
• 10–15 percent of newborns, or 431,000
annually, spend time in neonatal intensive care according to the March of
Dimes.
annually, spend time in neonatal intensive care according to the March of
Dimes.
• 12 percent of children between ages 1
and 17 had medical conditions serious enough to require hospitalization between
2004 and 2006, the most recent years for which statistics are available at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
and 17 had medical conditions serious enough to require hospitalization between
2004 and 2006, the most recent years for which statistics are available at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• 13.6 percent of students between ages 6
and 21 were enrolled in some kind of special needs program according to the
National Center for Educational Statistics. That’s 706,000 of our country’s
school-aged children.
and 21 were enrolled in some kind of special needs program according to the
National Center for Educational Statistics. That’s 706,000 of our country’s
school-aged children.
Lots
of kids mean lots of parents, dads and moms who are valuable sources of
information and advice. In this book, dozens of them share with you the wisdom
they gained while parenting kids with special needs.
of kids mean lots of parents, dads and moms who are valuable sources of
information and advice. In this book, dozens of them share with you the wisdom
they gained while parenting kids with special needs.
Support
can also come from the surprising number of professionals who work with
families of kids with special needs. These professionals—and the resources
they’ve created—are available at hospitals, medical facilities, government
agencies, private organizations, businesses, schools, churches, and more.
can also come from the surprising number of professionals who work with
families of kids with special needs. These professionals—and the resources
they’ve created—are available at hospitals, medical facilities, government
agencies, private organizations, businesses, schools, churches, and more.
This
book brings you advice from professionals around the country and provides
information about national organizations and resources. It also gives tips
about where to start searching for state and local resources. More often than
not, your problem won’t be a lack of resources, but a lack of awareness of them
or inability to access them.
book brings you advice from professionals around the country and provides
information about national organizations and resources. It also gives tips
about where to start searching for state and local resources. More often than
not, your problem won’t be a lack of resources, but a lack of awareness of them
or inability to access them.
Different Dream Parenting contains six sections: Diagnosis, Hospital Life,
Juggling Two Worlds, Long-Term Care Conditions, Losing a Child, and Raising a
Survivor. Each section is divided into four chapters. Three chapters address
practical issues. The last chapter in each section addresses spiritual
concerns.
Juggling Two Worlds, Long-Term Care Conditions, Losing a Child, and Raising a
Survivor. Each section is divided into four chapters. Three chapters address
practical issues. The last chapter in each section addresses spiritual
concerns.
Parents
of kids with special needs often wrestle with prickly spiritual questions. I sure
did. Sometimes I still do. So do all the parents interviewed in this book, and
most of the professionals, too. Every day, we continue to ask questions about
our kids’ lives and futures. Gradually, we learn more about how to trust God’s
timing and wait for His answers.
of kids with special needs often wrestle with prickly spiritual questions. I sure
did. Sometimes I still do. So do all the parents interviewed in this book, and
most of the professionals, too. Every day, we continue to ask questions about
our kids’ lives and futures. Gradually, we learn more about how to trust God’s
timing and wait for His answers.
As
you read this book, please ask your faith questions. Read about how parents and
professionals learned to ask questions, wait, and listen. Consider the answers
they have discerned and their suggestions about how to find comfort and courage
in God’s Word. When you are ready, try out their ideas about how to pray and
use Scripture to hear God’s answers to your hard questions. The thirty-day
prayer guides in appendix A are designed to help you engage in conversation
with Him.
you read this book, please ask your faith questions. Read about how parents and
professionals learned to ask questions, wait, and listen. Consider the answers
they have discerned and their suggestions about how to find comfort and courage
in God’s Word. When you are ready, try out their ideas about how to pray and
use Scripture to hear God’s answers to your hard questions. The thirty-day
prayer guides in appendix A are designed to help you engage in conversation
with Him.
But
even with prayer guides and Scripture to guide you, I know how hard it can be
to trust the God who is allowing your child to suffer. So I won’t condemn you
for asking prickly questions. Instead, I’ll encourage you, cry with you, and
support you when your faith grows weak. When you can’t hang on a minute longer,
I’ll hold you close until your strength and your faith return.
even with prayer guides and Scripture to guide you, I know how hard it can be
to trust the God who is allowing your child to suffer. So I won’t condemn you
for asking prickly questions. Instead, I’ll encourage you, cry with you, and
support you when your faith grows weak. When you can’t hang on a minute longer,
I’ll hold you close until your strength and your faith return.
I
hope this book helps you break out of your bad dream, wake up, and move forward
with joy and confidence. I pray that the stories of parents and professionals
in this book will give you hope and strength.
hope this book helps you break out of your bad dream, wake up, and move forward
with joy and confidence. I pray that the stories of parents and professionals
in this book will give you hope and strength.
Most of all, I hope you
discover the truth God has revealed to me and many other parents. Raising a
child with special needs isn’t a bad dream. It’s just a different dream. And
surprisingly, a different dream can be the best dream of all.
discover the truth God has revealed to me and many other parents. Raising a
child with special needs isn’t a bad dream. It’s just a different dream. And
surprisingly, a different dream can be the best dream of all.
Taken from Different Dream Parenting, © 2011
by Jolene Philo. Used by permission of Discovery House Publishers, Box
3566, Grand Rapids, MI 49501. All rights reserved
by Jolene Philo. Used by permission of Discovery House Publishers, Box
3566, Grand Rapids, MI 49501. All rights reserved
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Today’s Wild Card author is:
and the book:
Discovery House Publishers (November 1, 2011)
Discovery House Publishers (August 1, 2009)
- Product Details for Different Dream Parenting:
- List Price: $12.99
- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Discovery House Publishers (November 1, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1572934670
- ISBN-13: 978-1572934672
***Special thanks to Susan Otis, Creative Resources, Inc. for sending me a review copy.***
