At the October 2008 Friends One Day Workshop in Iowa Friends, parents were asked for their thoughts on their child’s stuttering.
- Be open about your stuttering; talk about it, it’s ok.
- I don’t think of you any differently than my other kids who don’t stutter.
- You can be up front about your stuttering. Being open about it can help you and people you talk to.
- We really love you.
- Nothing is “broken” about you.
- 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.
- I would love to talk to you openly.
- I only want you to communicate; I want you to be comfortable.
- Its ok to stutter, nobody’s speech is perfect all the time.
- What you have to say is important to me. I am listening.
- If someone gives you a tough time about stuttering it’s because they don’t know. You need to educate them about it.
- I’m going to be there to support you. You’re not alone.
- You’re normal kids, and you stutter.
- We love you.
- It’s ok to stutter and that’s the way it is.
- Mother is so proud of you.
- I don’t care when the word would come out, it can be bumpy.
- You need to tell me what you need. How can I help you?
- You can have as much time as you need to say what you want to say.
- It takes courage to get up (in front of) the whole class and talk about stuttering.
- Nobody talks perfectly; everybody has fluent and disfluent moments.
- Speech is not the most important thing. It’s ok to stutter at home.
- You don’t need “to be fixed.”