Toppling the Idol of Ideal: Raising Children with Hidden Disabilities - Softcover

Boudreau, Melanie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1939828279 ISBN 13: 9781939828279

Publisher: A Book's Mind, 2015

Synopsis

EMBRACING THE CHALLENGES, CONTENDING FOR THEIR DESTINYThe stats are changing. It’s no longer just the rare family who has a child with autism, ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome, or other brain chemistry concerns. As parents raising children with these or other hidden disabilities, we need compassionate voices who can listen and help us with the practical issues: fighting despair, judgment, and educational hurdles; deciding about medications; handling the labeling; and negotiating the responses of schools and the church. Perhaps most importantly, we need assurances that our children will be okay and that we will survive and even thrive spiritually as we grapple with the daily challenges. We are contending for their destiny as well as ours.Melanie Boudreau is a graduate of the University of Texas, School of Allied Health, with a degree in Medical Technology. The mother of one child who is neurotypical and two with neuropsychiatric disorders, Melanie uses her education to interact with specialists and research interventions for her children. She works as Team Director for Apostolic Intercessors Network, a Christian business that links professional level intercessors and spiritual warfare strategists with individuals, families, and workplace leaders around the globe.

About this title

About the Author

Melanie Boudreau is a graduate of the University of Texas, School of Allied Health, with a degree in Medical Technology. The mother of one child who is neurotypical and two with neuropsychiatric disorders, Melanie uses her education to interact with specialists and research interventions for her children. She works as Team Director for Apostolic Intercessors Network, a Christian business that links professional level intercessors and spiritual warfare strategists with individuals, families, and workplace leaders around the globe.

From the Back Cover

It's so rare to find the worlds of disability and passionate spirituality mixed, so I really value this book! I love seeing from Melanie's point of view. I love her personal stories. I love her insights. And I love hearing it all from a God point of view.

Kirsten Jack
Parent of five, two with disabilities
Australia


Melanie's story is both poignant and reverent. Her personal journey captures the dilemmas, decisions, and delights of parenting children with special needs.

Dr. M. Janet Mangum
Aglow International Transformation Director
Newbury Park, California

From the Inside Flap

What Others Are Saying

Truth spoken in love sets you free to grow and mature in the fruit of the Spirit. In Toppling the Idol of Ideal, Melanie Boudreau has led us unabashedly over the physical hills and through the emotional valleys of raising children with hidden disabilities, and the truth she shares brings us into the broad plain of hope that we have in the future God desires for us as His children. Melanie's life lessons and research add to that hope for parents raising children with hidden disabilities by providing links, references, and resources to assist in our journey.

Even more, Toppling the Idol of Ideal is a clarion call to the body of Christ to rise once again to the higher standard of Christ, as seen through the parable of the Good Samaritan, in our daily interactions with those around us--especially in the places we gather for worship. That call, along with the resounding message of the author, is best summarized by the apostle Paul near the end of his first letter to the Corinthians: "Let all that you do be done in love."

Albert E. Hauck, PhD
Co-founder and President, Friend of God Ministries
President, Apostolic Intercessors Network


I want to read this book as fast as I can, and then I think, 'Wait, I really need to take it all in slowly and ponder it.' We parents need each other to bind up our wounds and to unbind the chains of the lies or despair the enemy of our soul puts in and on us. This book is fresh air to me. I am so encouraged!

Vanessa
Parent of a child with a hidden disability
Augusta, Georgia


I am extremely honored to have walked this journey with Melanie, sharing the experiences she and her family have encountered while raising two children with neuropsychiatric disorders. Her stories bring out the many challenges; the heartbreak of churches and communities of faith turning their backs; and the disappointments, discouragements, achievements, and accomplishments. Most of all, this book shows the joy and fulfillment of mothering children with hidden disabilities and watching them grow into healthy young adults despite the obstacles. Though I am a mental health professional, Melanie is one I would consult with any day on issues of Tourette's syndrome and other hidden disabilities. Her love for her children far surpasses any clinical or professional expertise and education. She has lived through it all.

I hope in reading this book, churches and communities of faith will glean wisdom from the information. I hope readers try to understand what many people have had to face "alone" because others have put their heads in the sand, ignoring these issues based on ignorance, lack of empathy, and compassion. This book should be in every church library, psychological office, and academic institution.

Gayle Rogers, Ph.D.
Founder and President of Forever Free
Author, The Whole Soul: Rescripting Your Life for Personal Transformation
Dana Point, California


If you have one or more children with hidden disabilities and behavioral issues, chances are you have been wandering in a dark, alternative world of parenting. Every day may seem like an endless battle fraught with tantrums and people judging you for your "bad" children. Melanie's book is a refreshing breeze of truth. It's well balanced and realistic, and it confronts some issues that few people will talk about. Melanie also provides hope, which you certainly need on this journey. Looking back, the days for my two boys with hidden disabilities were long but the years were short, and the love and patience were certainly not wasted.

Theresa Lynn Sidebotham
Attorney at Law
Telios Law PLLC

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Edition details

• Publisher: A Book's Mind
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1939828279
• ISBN 13: 9781939828279
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 150