Out of the Ordinary

When you have a child who is disabled you step into a world of unknowns. When Cathy Tanner's daughter was younger, she seemed to fit in with peers even though she had down syndrome. There did not seem to be a large cognitive gap between her and other children, and the author began to think that she'd easily navigate having a mentally disabled child. But as time marched on things began to change. She saw the gap between her daughter's abilities and those of other children widened. The author struggled to find ways to help her daughter socialize with others so that she would not feel isolated as well as working through her own emotional struggles in raising her. Through the years of parenting her daughter the author saw God's providence to provide in multitudes of situations for the author's emotional well being as well as her daughter's continued needs. Join the author as she looks back on raising a daughter with down syndrome and how keeping an open mind and heart while looking to God, has helped her find her way forward.