Once upon a time, there was little boy who didn't stutter. He could name all the dinosaurs without the least stammer. He would proudly announce he wanted to be a paleontologist without getting stuck on the p.
Then, for some reason, he began to stutter when he was in kindergarten. His teacher told his mother that children usually stuttered because of "something wrong at home".
The little boy stuttered more and more. He didn't get parts in school plays because his teachers were afraid he would embarrass himself, or perhaps them. His speech therapist didn't know what to do, so she suggested that the little boy go to a hypnotherapist.
The mother, desperate, blaming herself because of the kindergarten teacher's remark, took the little boy to the hypnotherapist. She read everything about stuttering that she could find. Nothing seemed to help.
The family moved. The little boy became a bigger boy, and his stuttering got worse. When he was in 5th grade, he could barely talk. The smartest kid in the school - and he couldn't talk. The school speech therapist could not help.
The mother heard that the speech department at a local college might be able to help. She took the boy there. There was improvement, but the mother and the boy realized that he would always stutter.
In middle school and high school, the boy was in every play and production that the school produced. He never stammered, but he still couldn't talk on the phone. Every spring, it seemed the stuttering became worse. He gave up on speech therapists. No one could cure him. He would have to fight his own battle with this disability.
Graduation day, the boy was valedictorian. He gave a beautiful speech - flawlessly. He received a standing ovation. There were tears in many eyes because of the eloquence of the speech. The mother was crying - with pride, and with admiration. She knew what a battle had been fought to get that speech out so perfectly.
My son still deals with his stuttering, and he always will. He doesn't have a Lionel to help him. He does it on his own.
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3 comments:
It is amazing that educators still blame all sorts of these problems "on something going on at home."
It's like if we can't figure it out, it must be the parents' fault.
I'm glad that your son has found a way around his stutter. Not everyone needs a Lionel, sometimes all they need is patience.
Very nice post. Thoughtful and honest. Thanks for sharing your son's work ethic through your lens as a parent.
Wow, what a story. Your son sounds like an amazingly strong person - and is lucky to have such a supportive mom like you.
I wonder if that kindergarten teacher even remembers saying that, all those years ago. It's a good lesson to remember that we have to be so careful with our words - people will remember them decades later.
I know that you probably don't want to post recent info about your son online but now I'm curious what career path he has chosen?
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