Welcome back for Part 2 of our interview with Lorna d’Entremont, co-owner of KidCompanions Chewelry. KidCompanions produces chewable jewelry for kids with special needs. Yesterday, in Part 1 Lorna explained how she morphed from busy grandma to business entrepreneur. Today, she answers questions about her special needs book review website and gives heartfelt advice, born from experience, for parents of kids with special needs.
Question 4: You also have a blog dedicated to reviewing books about special needs. How did that come about?
Reading has always been my passion. Anytime I have a spare moment, I reach for reading material—newspapers, magazines, books. Two and a half years ago when we started our Special Needs Blog on our Chewelry site I had posted a few reviews of books I had picked up at our library. Soon we had authors and publishers asking us to review their books.
In the Fall of 2011, due to the interest and ever expanding nature of the KidCompanion blog, we decided to move my book reviews to their own website, www.specialneedsbookreview.com Here book and CD reviews could be further organized into appropriate categories and groups, rated, giving opportunities for guest reviewers to submit their own reviews and also giving readers the opportunity to buy the books that are reviewed online.
With Special Needs Book Review now in its own domain, we aim to provide parents and educators of special needs children an invaluable resource where they can read, search, comment and buy books that can directly benefit them and others.
Also for two years I was a weekly host to a special needs Tweetchat for The Coffee Klatch and invited authors to be my guests. As our business grew and our two blogs demanded a lot of time I had to drop the Tweetchats at the end of March 2012.
When I write my reviews I always try to inform the reader about the topic covered in the book by quoting from the book or sharing a little of the parenting advice most of these books have. I hope my review readers will see how beneficial the whole book would be to their family.
One very successful feature on our book review site is our Author Interview Series. Most authors of the books I review are willing to participate. Their answers are truly amazing! Reading these interviews is like reading extra chapters to their books or like attending their lectures at a conference. I am so thankful to every author who has shared their experience and parenting suggestions with our readers.
Question 5: What feedback have you received about how your book review blog is meeting parents of kids with special needs where they’re at?
When parents receive a diagnosis or even as soon as their gut feeling tells them something is not quite right with their child, this is a dark, difficult, and scary time in their life. Many parents do not know where to turn for help, for encouragement, and for information about the evaluation, the condition, the treatment and the short and long term expectations. Whenever I want clarification or direction on a matter in my life I always reach out for written information. I hope that parents unsure where to turn or what to read will benefit from my reviews. Overwhelmed parents coping on little sleep and no spare time do not have the luxury of ready ALL the books out there. I hope by checking our book review and the interview with its author, they can quickly find resources to help their situation.
With each review and interview, I include the links how to follow the author and where to buy the books. Many parents tell me they often recommend the books I have reviewed to their child’s teachers or other caregivers. Those who are able to, even buy and give the books to the adults who work with their child or to family members so they will understand their child. Some parents recommend the books to their support groups or even suggest they be available in their therapists’ waiting rooms. Very often I hear parents say they buy the children’s picture books I have reviewed and make arrangement to share them with their child’s class.
One author was so pleased with the ripple effects about her children’s picture book after posting her book review and interview and having her as a guest on Tweetchat that it has given her the courage to write a second book, this time for the parents!
Question 6: What advice, encouragement, or hope can you share with DifferentDream.com readers?
Yes, the magic word is HOPE. Parents need hope to propel them forward, to meet the daily challenges of raising a child with special needs. With hope they need information and the knowledge they do not have to raise this child with high demands alone. Parents have to accept the fact that they need help. They must swallow their pride and reach out to others. Reaching out is not a sign of weakness; it is for your family’s well-being.
Parents of high needs children must also care for themselves and nurture their adult relationships with a spouse, friends, or family members. This is not being selfish it is being proactive. Parents who are running ragged from lack of sleep or being overstressed resulting in poor physical and emotional health or functioning on empty from lack of adult companionship are hurting themselves and in the end their family.
Many parents tell me setting up “free time” for themselves is so much work it is not worth it. Initially finding a reliable adult to care for your child/children might be a hassle, but once you do and you set up a routine to allow you “time to rest and recharge your batteries” you will be thankful you did. Some parents start this off by having the baby sitter at their home and in charge while they are relaxing in a separate place in the house. After awhile the new caregiver and the children get to know each other and the parents can leave the house without it causing a scene. One university professor suggested placing an ad for a caregiver where young adults studying to be special needs teachers or health care professionals gather.
Jolene, it was a pleasure to read and review your book, Different Dream Parenting. Thank you for participating in our Author Interview Series and I appreciate being able to answer your questions for your blog.
Thank You, Lorna d’Entremont
Thanks, Lorna, for taking time for this interview. Your advice, from the vantage point of someone who’s successfully raised a child with special needs, will mean a great deal to parents in the thick of the endeavor. Parents, if you want to share your reaction to Lorna’s story, please leave a comment. And be sure to check out the KidCompanions Chewelry website and the special needs books she reviews at www.specialneedsbookreview.com.
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