Welcome to PatchWorks: Celebrating Diversity. I am Amanda Harner-Weeks, and this blog is for all those families and individuals who feel “different”– who struggle to find their place in society. My philosophy is “Dare to be different. Dare to be true,” which is actually a line from a Chely Wright song entitled “Heavenly Days”. I strongly urge you all to listen to the entire CD, Lifted Off the Ground, but that’s a blog for another day.
My family is not considered “normal” by many people’s standards. My wife, Elizabeth, and I are lesbian moms to a son with special needs. Patrick has neurofibromatosis (type 1), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, and global developmental delays. He is also adopted. While we have found most people to be accepting, there are the occasional stares. We are looked at differently both for being an LGBT couple and for Patrick’s sometimes unusual behavior.
The biggest challenge has been in finding appropriate schools. I do not feel the Texas public school system can properly address Patrick’s needs, and private, Christian-based schools are often not comfortable dealing with gay parents. Special schools for autism stroke mostly cost-prohibitive for us as well as an hour’s drive away. We have been homeschooling part-time (with supplemental programs) for many years, so I hope homeschooling parents– who can often feel isolated– will find a home here as well.
Ultimately, I have come to the conclusion that I must begin my own school, primarily for children (and eventually adults) with special needs. This blog will chronicle this journey, as well as the day-to-day struggles and joys of our life.
I chose the name PatchWorks for two important reasons. First, I want to show our background in diversity, how the unique features of our family and community come together to form a metaphorical patchwork quilt.
The second reason for the name is for our son. Patrick’s nickname is Patch, and my wife and I (with help from my amazing parents too) work every day to ensure he has the best possible life and is the best person he can be. We hope you will grow to know and love this beautiful boy through the course of this blog.
We also hope that those of you whose families might be considered not quite “normal” will find comfort in hearing stories from another family who faces unique challenges. With Elizabeth, Patch, and me, you will be accepted regardless of disability, sexual orientation, race, religion…
Finally, I plan to use the PatchWorks blog to share with you resources for both the special needs community and LGBT community, as well as some on foster care and adoption and homeschooling.
I look forward to sharing my passions with you and hearing your stories. It can be particularly important for those of us who don’t quite “fit in” to build our village. So welcome again to PatchWorks.
PatchWorks Parenting 