IMbetween Podcast on Marriage, Parenting, Faith, and Everything In Between

92: Encouragement For The Special Needs Parent with Jamie Sumner

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On Episode 92, Daniel and Christina interview author Jamie Sumner about the joys and challenges of raising a special needs child with Cerebral Palsy. According to the CDC, 1 in 6 children ages 3 to 17 have a developmental disability (​Source​). Parents raising kids with special needs live exhausting, often unseen and challenging lives. Jamie reminds them that they are not alone. Because of God’s grace, parents can find joy, beauty and hope every day. 

With a mixture of humor, honesty, and hope, Jamie Sumner brings comfort to other parents - like herself - who need to hear that God has made them more than capable to raise their special kids. 


In This Episode, You Will Hear About:

  • Encouragement for special needs parents.
  • What it looks like to bury your fear in trust so it rises again as bravery.
  • When you should advocate for your child and when you should take a step back.
  • How to show your special needs child that their future is lit with a brilliant, heavenly light.


    • Resources Mentioned During the Episode:

    • Purchase a copy of Jamie's newest book, Eat, Sleep, Save The World: Words Of Encouragement For The Special Needs Parent 
    • Check out Jamie's other books, Unbound:Finding Freedom From The Unrealistic Expectations of Motherhoodand Roll With It - a big-hearted middle grade story about an irrepressible girl with cerebral palsy whose life takes an unexpected turn when she moves to a new town.
    • To find out more about Jamie and her family, visit her at​ ​www.jamie-sumner.com​


      • Quotes and Tweets:

      • It is we, their parents, who must lead the life of Lazarus. We have died a thousand tiny deaths as we watch them fight their war. We are the dead we come back again to testify to all that God has and is doing for our children. @jamiesumner
      • It’s okay to be angry. Really. It’s an emotion, just like sadness or joy or grief or hope. It’s what you do with the anger that counts. So feel it and then let it pass. Entrust it to God. Entrust your child’s care to Him. Count to ten, or a million, and then pray. Let Him provide another way to handle the difficult situation or person. You simply have to be still long enough to let Him go about His work. @jamiesumner
      • Go now and live in laughter and exuberance for the future that is yours in Christ. Hug your kids and help them see this promise too. This is your calling as a parent: to show your children that their future is lit with a brilliant, heavenly light. @jamiesumner
      • Fear of the unknown is a key player in the special needs game and perhaps the most seductive. There is just so much unknown. It hovers, like a distant tidal wave in the ocean and we watch with our toes in the sand, waiting to see if it will come crashing down. But what would it look like if we buried that fear in so much trust that it rises again as bravery? Because, if, or when, or greatest fear is realized, we cannot let it sink us. @jamiesumner
      • Sometimes advocating as a parent involves silence and distance to encourage independence, and other times it involves stepping in to make change happen for the better. It takes a lot of prayer and stillness to discern what times call for what measure. @jamiesumner


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          ___________

          Meet Jamie Sumner: 

          Jamie Sumner​ has written for the “New York Times” and the “Washington Post,” among many other publications. She is the author of the nonfiction book on motherhood, “Unbound,” and the middle-grade novel, “Roll with It.” She is also mom to a son with cerebral palsy, and she writes and speaks about disability in literature. She loves stories that celebrate the grit and beauty in all kids. She and her family live in Nashville, Tenn. Visit her at​ ​www.jamie-sumner.com​

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          IMbetween Podcast on Marriage, Parenting, Faith, and Everything In BetweenBy Daniel Im and Christina Im
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