How We Can Best Support our Friends with Special-Needs Kids {Episode 56 with Sandra Peoples}
Hi Friends! I’m so excited to share today’s interview with you!
This episode is for anyone who either has a child with special needs, or knows someone who does. (Pretty sure that is everyone!) This topic was born out of my own desire to be a better friend; to not let my lack of knowledge or awkwardness get in the way of better supporting my friends who have kids with special needs. I’m pretty sure I am not not alone in all of this, and I’m so grateful Sandra Peoples was willing to come on to guide us from her experience, and with so much grace.
Sandra has a son with Autism and she was also raised with a sister with Down Syndrome. Because of this, Sandra understands well what special needs families need most. Sandra gives us practical advice on how we can support our friends (the parents of the kids) and ALSO how our kids can be a good friend to the child with special needs as well as to the “typical” siblings of them! (SO important!) This conversation is so packed with ideas, inspiration and grace.
I truly hope this episode moves us all to step out of our comfort zone, make a new friend, or just move in closer to an old one. I pray that we might rally around those amazing men and women who are doing the incredibly important, hard work of raising special needs kids.
See notes below for all of the links and please consider sharing this episode with your friends. (Some of your kids might want to listen in to this as well!)
SHOW NOTES:
Sandra’s website: Sandrapeoples.com
Sandra’s Book: Unexpected Blessings: The Joys and Possibilities of Life in a Special-Needs Family.
Sandra’s Podcast: Self Care and Should Care for the Caregiver
Sandra’s Post: 7 Phrases Every Special Needs-Sibling Needs to Hear (and I love the little video included in this post! 😉 )
My post from a few years ago: Meeting a Special Needs Family: What do you say?
And a big thanks to this episode’s sponsor: Wonder Crate.
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AND ENTER TO WIN A MONTH’S SUBSCRIPTION over on my Instagram Feed this week! (details all there!)
You can find the Boy Mom Podcast on all of the podcast platforms…here are just a few of them:
Or you can listen right here! 🙂
MORE ABOUT SANDRA…
Sandra Peoples is a special-needs mom and sibling. She and her family live outside of Houston, TX where she serves her church as the director of special-needs ministry. She’s the author of Unexpected Blessings: The Joys and Possibilities of Life in a Special-Needs Family and the host of the podcast, Self Care and Soul Care for the Caregiver. You can connect with her at sandrapeoples.com.
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My book, BOY MOM, was released in August of 2019 (Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers) and is full of practical advice and helpful resources for raising boys. It’s a great study for small groups!
Order it here: Boy Mom: What Your Son Needs Most from You
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I loved this podcast episode. I do have a question for Sandra. My son was diagnosed with Down syndrome via amniocentesis at about 3 months gestational. He was just born last week and his diagnosis has been confirmed. How do we go about telling his brother that is 6yrs old he has Down syndrome? He is just a baby right now so it doesn’t matter but I know the day will come that he notices something is different. Thank you!
Hi Karla! Thank you for the comment and I am so glad this episode was encouraging to you. Congrats on your new baby!!! I’m praying for you in this time of transition! I’ll pass your comment on to Sandra and hopefully she can comment her. But you are also welcome to reach out to her on her website. I know you’ll find lots of encouragement over there as well! XO Big hugs–
Hi Karla! Praising God with you for your new baby! Congratulations! At this stage, you can teach your older son about the differences just like you do other differences in God’s creation (like skin colors, hair colors, and heights). At his age, he isn’t making judgments about differences (like that they are good or bad). He’s just noticing them and curious. As he grows older, you can answer his questions honestly with the information he’s able to understand at his age. I like to compare it to the “birds and the bees” talk. We don’t give 6 year olds all the details we would give when they are 12 or 14. We answer their questions to the best of our ability and even say “I don’t know” if it’s a big question, like “Will my brother live with me someday?” I have a webinar about the stages siblings go through that would hopefully be helpful for you. Here’s the link: