Bio

Abby is a daughter, sister, wife, aunt, speech therapist, friend and most importantly, a mom. She is genuine and uses her whole heart to complete every task or activity she is involved in. If there is something Abby can do to help the people around her at home, at her job or in her community, she goes above and beyond to provide that support. Abby went to college for speech therapy and received her master’s degree in communication disorders. She works as a speech language pathologist to support students from the ages of 3 years old to 21 years old in a public school. During the summers, weekends and evenings, she spends time reading, going for walks, baking, cooking and playing board games with her husband and two children. She lives on a beef farm and enjoys watching her two kids take care of their beef cows.

Parenting Philosophy

My parenting philosophy is to raise my two beautiful children to become independent, kind, problem solving, thoughtful, empathetic, loved, helpful, hardworking, dedicated and motivated human beings. I think the most important things you can do for children is to give them love, your mental, emotional and physical presence consistently, and time while completing daily living activities. This way, they learn how to be successful human beings that are calm, regulated, accomplished, goal setting and supportive of those around them. It is very beneficial to include your children in every day tasks such as cooking, cleaning, yard work, grocery shopping, helping family and hobbies. This way children learn how to be part of a team, to find different solutions for difficulties that arise, how to talk to others, how to take care of themselves and others and how to complete tasks from beginning to end. It is very important to me that my children learn how to appreciate the little things in life instead of materialistic items. I want my children to stop and smell the flowers we plant every spring and see the beauty in nature. I want my children to look up at the sky and be thankful for the small victories that make life worth living. I want my children to be accepting of boredom, and to know that they can create their own happiness. I want my children to know they are loved, supported and that they can accomplish what their hearts desire.

Motherhood and Community

My job has been a very beneficial activity to be involved in as a speech language pathologist. I have learned a lot about child development and how to foster successful learning of academic, social and life skills. This has been especially helpful with my own children. My daughter being neurotypical and my son being neurodivergent. I have been able to support both of them as they learn how to be independent, kind, empathetic, hard working and motivated individuals at home and at school. My role working as a speech therapist has also helped me be an advocate for many other parents who are raising neurodivergent or children with special needs. That then positively impacts their children so that they are getting the best services and supports possible. I also get to help teach and support new special educators as a mentor for the school district I work in. The education and support I provide to new special educators then extends to many different families, students and regular educators. This has empowered many people and helped them not feel alone during a situation that can be very scary and overwhelming.