Scoot Over and Make Some Room

Stepping into new spaces can make anyone uncomfortable. For many of us, developing a relationship with an individual with special needs might be new territory. In today’s episode, we have Mama/Author/Advocate Heather Avis sharing her ideas about raising kids with kindness and moving towards inclusion.



“When we walk into the world with our children we know we are different. What we want is for people to embrace us, not turn away from us.” Heather Avis







* Learn more about Heather* Find Heather on Instagram* Heather’s Book: Scoot Over and Make Some Room



Full Episode Transcription



You can listen to this episode of the Simple Families podcast in the player above or in your favorite podcast app. Or you can read the full transcript right here.



An Update from Denaye



Welcome to episode 183. This is Denaye. Today we’re talking about scooting over to make some room.



Hello, hello and happy December. I hope that this holiday season is one that is bringing you joy and maybe some semblance of calm amongst all the insanity that happens around this time of the year. If you’re following me on Instagram, you’ll know that I am currently doing a 25 day workout challenge starting December 1st going through the 25th. I will tell you that it is single handedly the best way to lengthen and prolong the holiday season because this month is just going on forever. Like when will it end? I’m so done. The reason I did it was because I had set a goal to reach 100 cycling rides. We have a Peloton that I like to ride and my goal was at the end of the year, I wanted to have 100 rides. Then in the middle of November I broke my toe so I was off for probably three weeks and I got way behind. So I’m like, “All right, I got to ramp it up, finish out strong for the end of 2019.” The other reason that I did it is because as some of you know from my new year’s resolution at the beginning of this year, I gave up alcohol. Part of that journey has been figuring out what the holiday seasons look like without wine and champagne and other things to celebrate. So I’ve put in a little bit more exercise to help fill in any of those gaps, which I’m not really even feeling that heavily anymore. Next week I’m talking with Brooke Conley, who was on the podcast last year before I decided to give up alcohol. We talked a little bit about this concept and the idea of giving up alcohol when you’re not an alcoholic and how it can be a strange concept for many of us, including myself. So I’m just wrapping up that year now, very soon in the next week or two. I’m going to be sharing all the details of that next week when I chat with Brooke.



I also want to be sure that you caught the short form episode yesterday. Starting in 2020 I’m going to be adding a second episode each week where I have a shorter episode and I cover a question from an audience member and I share something simple that I’m loving. Maybe a concept or a book or a product, whatever it might be. So if you didn’t catch that yesterday, go back and listen to that, Episode 182, I’m answering the question, “How do we handle Santa?” I’m also sharing my “something simple” for the week. So starting off in January, that will be a weekly occurrence and I hope you enjoy that.



Meet Heather Avis, a Special Needs Mom and Advocate for Kindness and Inclusion