Yes, yes, yes!
Hip, hip, hooray!
Grin, grin, grin!
Jig, jig, jig!
The above celebration is for those of you who didn’t hear the first big yahoo on Friday afternoon when I sent the manuscript for Different Dream Parenting to my editor at Discovery House Publisher (DHP). Anyone who didn’t hear the second yahoo when the editor emailed back to say DHP plans to release both paper and electronic versions next October can lay claim to the celebration, too.
When parents of kids with special needs kids hear the titles, Different Dream Parenting and A DIfferent Dream for My Child, they almost always nod and say, “That’s exactly what this is. A different dream.” Some of them ask a follow up question. “It’s kind of like the story, Welcome to Holland. Have you read it?” I nod, and we launch into a discussion about how parenting a child with special needs is indeed like a delightful vacation in Holland – even though we thought our vacation would be in Italy.
Well, I almost let out a third yahoo on Friday while reading a favorite special needs blog by Ellen Seidman at www.LoveThatMax.com. Last Monday she posted an interview with Emily Perl Kingsley, the author of Welcome to Holland. Kingsley wrote the essay in 1987, after her son was born with Down Syndrome. At the time, she was a writer for Sesame Street and was instrumental in the inclusion of people with special needs on the show. The interview, which tells how Welcome to Holland became famous, is wonderful.
But don’t take my word for it. Go to www.LoveThatMax.com and read the interview. You’ll be amazed by how one person used her talents to influence and encourage countless families. Maybe Kinglsey’s efforts will give you some ideas about how to influence the world around you. She’s inspired me to get cracking on a proposal for another book to assist parents of kids with special needs.
So much for celebrating. It’s time to get to work again!
