Last year was our first year at the Friends conference. Our little Sophie, now 11 years old, has been stuttering for the past 6 years. We really had no idea what stuttering was or what causes it. We still don’t. But we could see it bothered Sophie. Before the conference, Sophie was scared to speak with us and her friends. Something magical happened in Tampa. Sophie and the rest of our family met dozens of fantastic, energetic and positive kids, young adults and adults who stuttered. Sophie saw that not one of them was intimidated by their stuttering. Everyone was perfectly comfortable with the way they spoke. This was a major revelation for Sophie and for all of us.
Over the past year, following the conference, Sophie has gained a tremendous amount of confidence and is feeling remarkably comfortable with her stuttering. She has good many close friends and is in regular contact with Gracie, a sweet companion she met at the conference.
For sure stuttering is tough, but now thanks to Friends, Sophie and the rest of us know stuttering is perfectly OK. No big deal. Stutterers are in fact incredibly interesting people with great perseverance and love for life. They work hard and enjoy getting past speech obstacles.
The Friends Conference has been incredible for all of us. We will be coming for many years and look forward to meeting new friends each year.
The Four Reasons We Will Be Attending the Friends Conference Every Year:
- It will change your child’s life and family’s life forever
- It is a place where those that stutter feel like they are no longer alone
- It is a place to meet friends that will be lifelong
- It is an event that our daughter looks forward to 364 days a year until the next conference