Parent’s Thoughts
At the October 2008 Friends One Day Workshop in Iowa Friends, parents were asked for their thoughts on their child’s stuttering.

1. Be open about your stuttering; talk about it, it’s ok.
2. I don’t think of you any differently than my other kids who don’t stutter.
3. You can be up front about your stuttering.  Being open about it can help you and people you talk to.
4. We really love you.
5. Nothing is “broken” about you.
6. People don’t always respond appropriately to your speeds when it’s bumpy, but you can let them know that it’s not easy sometimes to talk.
7. I would love to talk to you openly.
8. I only want you to communicate; I want you to be comfortable.
9. Its ok to stutter, nobody’s speech is perfect all the time.
10. What you have to say is important to me.  I am listening.
11. If someone gives you a tough time about stuttering it’s because they don’t know.  You need to educate them about it.
12. I’m going to be there to support you.  You’re not alone.
13. You’re normal kids, and you stutter.
14. We love you.
15. It’s ok to stutter and that’s the way it is.
16. Mother is so proud of you.
17. I don’t care when the word would come out, it can be bumpy.
18. You need to tell me what you need.  How can I help you?
19. You can have as much time as you need to say what you want to say.
20. It takes courage to get up (in front of) the whole class and talk about stuttering.
21. Nobody talks perfectly; everybody has fluent and disfluent moments.
22. Speech is not the most important thing.  It’s ok to stutter at home.
23. You don’t need “to be fixed.”

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