I have a horrible confession to make. While speeding down the highway at lightning speed, I converse with my three kiddos…by watching their lips through the rearview mirror. My oldest son sits up front and has a deep tone to his voice that is easy for my ears … Continue reading
Filed under Have a Little Faith …
What I Learned from a (Deaf) Girl Scout
If I could go back in time, it would be 1912. I would meet the woman founder of an organization that taught me how to love nature as an 8-year-old girl growing up in rural Oklahoma. Recently, I learned how to embrace my life with hearing loss because of her. The founder of the Girl … Continue reading
How I Overcame My Hearing Loss Fears
My hearing loss progressed after I quit working to become a stay-at-home mom. It really scared the heck out of me that one day I would probably re-enter the workforce. How would I be able to hear my employer, fellow employees, clients, and even the office phone when it rings? It stressed me out to … Continue reading
Captioning or Sign Language? That Is the Question
Dr. Tony Evans is a Christian evangelist who travels all over the world with his revivals. I was anxious to see him speak when he came to my city, but I had one question. Would I understand him? My hearing loss makes it difficult to catch all the words coming from even the most eloquent … Continue reading
How Hearing Loss Made Me More Compassionate – By Elise Bateman
Lipreading Mom Note: Going to college can be stressful, so imagine heading there with a new hearing loss. Elise Bateman was that student. Her story of grieving the loss of her hearing ends on a happy note. Through grief, she found the ability to help others. Elise’s Story Four and a half years ago, I … Continue reading
Can You Come Up with Another Label for Hard of Hearing? – By Michelle Rooney
Hard of Hearing. Moderate to severe hearing loss. Hearing impaired. They’re all the same. They all describe me. They all simply mean that my ears don’t function as intended. This doesn’t mean that I can’t think. This doesn’t mean that I’m stupid. This doesn’t mean that I should not, or cannot lead a normal productive … Continue reading
Lipreading Mom is No Match for the Little Debater
“Mom, why do I have to take a bath?” My four-year-old son asked this question for the fourth time. It had become a nightly ritual of explaining how the shampoo made his hair clean and how the bubble bath kept his body from being dirty. “You don’t want to go to preschool smelling stinky, do … Continue reading
It Was One of Those Days
(Lipreading Mom’s Note: I wrote this story when my oldest son was 4 and my daughter was a baby. Neither one of them is in diapers anymore. My, how time flies…) Maybe it was the sun shining just a little too brightly in my eyes while I tried to sleep in. Or perhaps … Continue reading
How Humor Can Heal Hearing Loss…Oh, Yes It Can
Okay, I use the term “heal” metaphorically. But for the past eight years of that rollercoaster ride known as hearing loss, I’ve found laughter to be the most effective remedy for coping with the inevitable. “So I’m going deaf,” I say with a slight chuckle to my family and friends. “What’s new with YOU?” For … Continue reading
The Little Girl Who Couldn’t Hear God
A little girl once sat in her bedroom and prayed to God. “What do you want me to be when I grow up?” she asked. God was quiet. Confused, the little girl thought that maybe she hadn’t heard God because she hadn’t prayed hard enough. So she prayed again. Still, the receiving end of her … Continue reading