From Parenting Pantry Parent Coach Leah Jo Butz, "

"My first child was born completely blind, because of this daily challenge-  and my love for her- I developed a keen sense of strategy & advocacy. This had a profound impact on my parenting 4 other kids and improved my leadership style."

I became passionately tuned into ways that each child needed my care and how a lot of attention and carefully timed and prepared for strategic neglect supported their unique needs and emerging talents and skills. This parenting style helped me find confidence in the early days of single parenting my little crew of 5.  With High love and high expectations, I demonstrated and reinforced their abilities to be independent and found ways to manage things.

5 kids was not easy, but it was awesome. Because of our family team mindset we made a lot of happy memories. We were also able to prepare for the growth of our family to include one really special Dad who came into our lives and became my treasured parenting partner. 

25 years later, as a parent coach, I find a lot of parents wanting quick fix solutions and conflict resolution that dismisses problems instead of learning from solving them together. It’s never too late to build your management skills and structure your parenting to support the lasting outcomes that strengthen continued parent child relationships. There's nothing more important I have accomplished than what I did as their parent. 

The world may not always see value in the work I did in within my home, but I knew it. I made the most of my chance to make a difference in their lives.