Welcome to The Speech Parent!

Hello friend and welcome to the Speech Parent! This blog post closely follows my very first episode of The Speech Parent Podcast – now LIVE and ready for your ears!

So if you’re interested in listening to this information, then you can head on over to Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts and search for The Speech Parent Podcast to listen! (And don’t forget to subscribe while you’re at it!) But…

So You Want to Read The Speech Parent Instead? Welcome!

Then you’re in the right place! Here I am, hoping to give you a snapshot of who I am, what I do, and how you can be a part of The Speech Parent community. 

Welcome! I’m Emily Bower and I’m a speech language pathologist AND a speech parent. WHAT I MEAN BY SPEECH PARENT – My kids are my world, and my son is truly amazing. He is so resilient and fun and I could brag on him for dayssss. He was a micropremie with several diagnoses and has had to work on language, articulation, social skills, and feeding and swallowing.

I’ve learned a lot being on the other side. I really do think it’s made me a better therapist now that I know what it’s like being a speech parent. And as you all know, it is often very overwhelming and stressful. 

It can be really hard to take your kid places when they can’t follow directions or answer simple questions when other people try to talk to them. It can break your heart to watch your child struggle to make friends or play with other kids their age. When your child is delayed, it can feel all consuming. If you’re like me you swing from hopefulness to hopelessness within minutes. 

Being a parent just in general is already SO HARD. People everyone are judging you for every decision you make. It starts when they’re just a baby! They judge you for how you feed your child, how they sleep, and later how well they listen to adults and obey. They judge you for your child’s manners or eating habits. And it’s exhausting. 

And as a mom, I know that I would do anything for my kids. A speech delay is really hard because there are so many unknowns. Why is this the card they were dealt? Is it my fault? What caused this? And then you worry about the future… Will they ever talk? Or will people ever understand them? Will they ever make friends, have a job, or live a normal life? 

So I get it. And I don’t know the answers – truly no one does. But I believe in you and your child. I believe you are the best parent for them and that you’re going to give them a beautiful life. 

And together we’re just going to take it one day at a time. 

So that’s why I created The Speech Parent. To connect with other parents and to help each other out. The Speech Parent has 3 goals: 

1. – Equip you to advocate for your child to get what they need
2. – Empower you to help your child at home
3. – Encourage you with a community of support

I’ve had to learn to really advocate for my child from the time he was a few months old. And I know from my work in preschools and elementary schools that I’m going to need to keep advocating for him through preschool, elementary, and beyond. But that’s part of being a parent, right? You may know nothing about Type 1 Diabetes or Cystic Fibrosis – but if your child gets that diagnosis you learn everything you possibly can! 

And the same is true for any speech therapy related need. If your child seems to not be meeting milestones or having trouble in some area – you might be reading this or listening to the podcast to find out if you need to get them tested for speech therapy. Or if they already have a diagnosis, you may be trying to figure out how you can support their development and work with them at home AND  just advocate for them to get the services and help they need from professionals.

The fact that you’re here, listening to this, and trying to learn everything you possibly can – like A++ amazing job. You are the exact parent your child needs, and I’m so proud of you for being here. 

**and side note here: If I ever talk about parents or moms – please please know that I’m referring to anyone and everyone that takes care of children. All guardians, caregivers, etc. are included and welcome here. 

So I’m hoping The Speech Parent is a place for you to learn, get your questions answered, and build community with other speech parents just like you. .  

Parents are absolutely incredible, but we don’t know what we don’t know. 

And speech therapists are also absolutely incredible, but we don’t have endless hours to answer all the questions and give you all the support like we wish we could. 

SO what can you expect from The Speech Parent? You can expect that I am going to provide as much free content and value as I can. I’m committed to showing up here in this blog (and on the podcast) regularly to give you all the knowledge and answer your questions. 

The Speech Parent is meant to be a community. So find me on social media, send me a dm – I’d love to connect with you. And please join our *exclusive Facebook group to get access to support from parents all over – by using this link right here!

Thanks for reading to the very first blog from The Speech Parent podcast. Your support means the world to me and I’d love for you to read all of the episodes to come. You are not alone, and I’m so glad you’re here. 

 And from one Speech Parent to another – know that the best is yet to come! 🙂