Navigating parenting of neuro-diverse children can be a tall challenge, but Diverse Mom Connect is paving the way for advocacy, support, and education to help parents anywhere.
Navigating parenting of neuro-diverse children can be a tall challenge with many unknowns, but Diverse Mom Connect is paving the way for advocacy, support, and education to help parents anywhere.
Founded in January by Airdrie resident Hillary Beierle and Calgary resident Elizabeth Lecerf, Diverse Mom Connect was inspired to learn more about their children’s conditions, and share their mutual experiences of being parents with neuro-diverse children, according to Lecerf.
The Diverse Mom Connect Instagram page gives the founders a platform to connect with others who may be in a similar situation, and they have hosted three events in Airdrie and Calgary to give a safe place for parents to sit down face to face with other parents.
“It was just so nice to have a space where the other attendees understood the challenges, and what they really like is just not having to explain or hide parts of their challenges because it’s almost too much for others to comprehend,” said Lecerf.
Lecerf said attendees have commonly connected over navigating education, therapies and diagnosis’ codes. She added that these topics are typically lacking in common knowledge, and to be able to connect over how other parents have tackled issues has been indispensable.
The first in-person event hosted by Diverse Mom Connect hit the mark immediately, as Beierle and other parents related to the common feelings of worry they experience for their children as their lives progress. Lecerf said the attendees provided Beierle with immense reassurance for her young son.
One event Diverse Mom Connect hosted was family friendly, and Lecerf said the children of all of the attendees were able to connect with each other and play in a safe environment where they feel most comfortable.
“Sometimes really fun events like birthday parties, Christmas parties, we often don’t have the same experience with our kiddos,” said Lecerf, “It’s really overstimulating, and there’s a lot that brings anxiety for us as their caregivers, so we’re trying to figure out how we can plan some more stuff like that,”
Lecerf hopes that the Diverse Mom Connect platform can continue growing as years go by, and she is extremely happy to see the progress of the group go from an empty Instagram page to trending network of support.
For more information, please visit https://www.instagram.com/diverse_mom_connect/
