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From: Lynne Shields
Date: 10/15/02
Time: 2:40:58 PM
Remote Name: 199.217.208.172
Viren,
Both Walt and Dale have shared good information with you. I agree that the message to keep giving your family is that stuttering is a very changeable disorder. The fact that you have been more fluent in some particular instance or set of situations has no bearing on your ability to be fluent in other situations or at other times.
It is quite apparent that you do not feel support or understanding from your family. I think you are taking a positive step in seeking counseling to gain some separation from your family on this issue. Continued efforts at educating your family may eventually pay off, but the payoff may be too far away for you at the moment. Hopefully, through counseling, you can begin to allow them to simply be who they are. Your parents are the way they are for a miriad of reasons, many of which occurred long before you came on the scene. It isn't your fault that they don't seem to understand. It's their beliefs, anxieties, and so forth, that made them who they are. I'm pleased that you are seeing someone with whom you can discuss these issues.
Continuing to gain support from others in the stuttering support community around the world is also a positive step. I hope you are giving yourself credit for going other routes to gain support and understanding for yourself and your stuttering.
Keep up the good work, Viren, and thanks for posting your question. I have enjoyed hearing from you at this conference and on Stutt-L.
Lynne