Episode 74: Navigating Special Needs and Learning Differences as a Mom with Maayan Bobylev

In this episode, Jodi has a candid discussion with an entrepreneur, business mentor and mother of three children with special needs and learning differences, Maayan Bobylev, and the two discuss how to navigate these learning differences and play them to the children’s strengths rather than treating them like a weakness.

Show Notes:
4:55 Early signs of learning differences
“When we placed [my daughter] in school, right away there were some social skill things […] Every parent-teacher conference, it was like, you know, ‘there’s issues with attention, there’s issues with not talking, those sorts of things…’” (6:28)

11:30 Handling the hurt
“I really felt like I was doing my all, and to get the feedback that this is a kid who has severe ADHD and is not getting support, immediately what came up for me was just shame, and ‘How could I have missed that?’” (12:53)

15:11 Releasing the blame
“It definitely helped me to connect with either a parenting coach or someone that you trust and can talk to, to share the feelings that come up.” (15:41)

17:29 Difficult decision-making
“There was a lot of processing and releasing, and trusting that Hashem [...] created my kids exactly with the strengths and the weaknesses and the challenges that they’re meant to have, and he entrusted me to support them and advocate for them..” (18:32)

20:37 Advice for Jewish parents
“When it comes to Jewish learning and instilling a love of Hashem […] that boils down to what they learn at home anyways. We don’t rely on the school to teach that.” (20:59)

22:27 Advocating Effectively
“The challenging piece has been taking ownership of advocating for [my children], not putting that on the teachers or the schools or pediatrician, but really knowing that the absolute best person to advocate for your child is you.” (23:05)

28:41 Self-Care
“I go on a couple walks every week with friends, and it’s knocking out two things at once: exercise, and deep conversations and connection with growth-oriented women that I love.” (29:26)

Credits:
Host: Jodi Fried
Guest: Maayan Bobylev
Editor: Rae Pavlat