7 Things Raising a Child with Cerebral Palsy Has Taught Me

Imagine becoming a parent for the first time and being told that your child will not live 24 hours…

Imagine having hopes and dreams of becoming a father and being presented with a shocking reality…

In this episode my guest shares his fatherhood journey and some things he has learned through raising a child with cerebral palsy for the past 10 years. His now rising fifth grader is an amazing kid who loves Taylor Swift, Frozen and all things Disney:)

It’s a beautiful story of acceptance. Acceptance of your situation, your child, the reality and owning your story with grace and peace. It’s about appreciating and living in the present moment, having deep gratitude and moving forward with life without regrets.

What I admire in Danny is his growth mindset, healthy perspective, his attitude toward life and his sense of reality.

Highlights

parenting things Danny has learned through working on the show
what has his 6 year old son learned by having a sibling with special needs (kids are awesome!)
thoughts on slow parenting, living in the present and on NOT over scheduling kids
the benefits of multigenerational relationships
parenting in the presence of your own parent

Here is the essay by Emily Perl Kingsley that Danny mentioned.

About my guest

Danny Ozment is the founder of Emerald City Productions, a world class recording studio, podcast production and consulting company. He is the producer of my show. I have spent the past year working with him and it was the best year in my podcasting life! Danny is a highly skilled professional, a genuinely nice guy, and an amazing father.

He was on a path to be a conductor when his daughter’s birth necessitated flexibility and a major change in his priorities. He made a complete pivot and founded Emerald City Productions where he drew upon his experience as a musician to learn how to become a recording engineer.

He spent the first seven years in his new business focusing on a cappella given his 20 year music career as a singer and producer of choral music and contemporary a cappella. Being a fan of many podcasts, he started his own show and quickly began editing and producing podcasts for others. Very quickly, it became clear that his experience recording and producing the human voice would benefit podcasters and their listeners.