Blog #1 - Meet the Family Behind Special Edition Parent

Welcome — and thank you so much for being here.

If you’ve found your way to Special Edition Parent, chances are your parenting journey doesn’t look quite like the picture you once imagined. Ours didn’t either. So for our very first blog post, I wanted to properly introduce you to the family behind the words, the resources, and the community we’re building here.

We’re a special edition family, in every sense of the phrase.

I’m Steph, and together with my husband Bug, we raise our four wonderful children: Blaze, Bear, Baylei and Bloom. Our life is busy, chaotic, joyful, exhausting, and full of love — and like many of you, it comes with its own unique challenges.

Blaze – Finding His Voice

First up is Blaze, our 9-year-old, who is hearing impaired.

Blaze spent the first years of his life living in what one audiologist later described as “a very quiet world.” For a long time, we were stuck navigating the healthcare system — endless waiting lists, being passed between specialists, and trying to understand the cause of his hearing loss so he could finally get the right support.

By the time we sought private testing at age three, we already knew something wasn’t right. COVID delays followed, appointments were cancelled, and precious time was lost. Blaze still wasn’t talking and had become increasingly shy and withdrawn.

When he finally received hearing aids at age seven, everything changed.

Within weeks, he was speaking in sentences, telling jokes, and showing us the personality that had been waiting all along to be heard. While he still works hard on speech sounds and literacy — catching up after years of not being able to hear sounds clearly — the progress he makes every single day fills us with pride.

Bear – Our Extra Special Edition

Next comes Bear — and yes, he’s the inspiration behind our logo.

Bear is 6 years old and our extra special edition. He was born with bilateral congenital ptosis, meaning neither of his eyelids worked properly. This led to tests, surgery at four years old, and eventually genetic testing.

In November 2025, we received a diagnosis: Weiss-Kruszka syndrome, an extremely rare genetic condition.

Bear is completely non-verbal and has a neurodevelopmental age of around nine months. His condition causes global developmental delay, autistic traits, hypotonia, and hypermobility, and can also be associated with heart and brain abnormalities — something we’re still investigating.

Recently, Bear received his wheelchair. While he can walk, fatigue, pain, and discomfort in his muscles and joints mean he can’t go far. He also lives with sleep difficulties and intense anxiety, particularly around medical environments and unfamiliar buildings that he assumes are hospitals.

And yet — despite all of this — Bear is the most loving, affectionate, joyful little (big) soul. He adores adventures, cuddles, kisses, and being surrounded by people. He has a way of reminding us, daily, what truly matters.

Baylei & Bloom – Our Little Lights

Then there are our girls, Baylei (4) and Bloom (almost 2 — our leap day baby).

They are both neurotypical and completely devoted to their big brothers. They bring so much laughter, curiosity, and light into our home, and their love for learning and life is infectious. Watching all four of our children grow together has taught us more about empathy, patience, and joy than we ever thought possible.

Why We Chose Home Education

Our home education journey began with Blaze.

After sending him to nursery, it became clear that the environment just didn’t work for him. He struggled to understand what was happening, and even after a full year, he was miserable going every day. When it came time for reception, we made the decision not to send him — and instead, to educate him at home.

It was one of the best decisions we ever made.

At home, Blaze thrived. And as time went on, we saw just how powerful it could be to teach each child in the way that suits them. We’ve continued our home education journey and witnessed first-hand how flexible, interest-led learning allows our children to flourish.

Our days are filled with learning through real life — days out, travel, experiences, and curiosity-led exploration. In future blogs, I’ll be sharing the realities of doing this with special needs and disabled children — what helps, what doesn’t, and how we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) to set ourselves up for success… and occasionally, failure too.

Why We’re Here

Special Edition Parent exists because we know how lonely this journey can feel — even when you’re surrounded by people.

I’m so excited to share our story with you, to learn from yours, and to build a space where different parenting journeys are not just accepted, but celebrated.

If you’re here — you belong here.

Thank you for being part of our story. 💛

If our story feels familiar — if parts of it felt heavy, hopeful, or a little bit of both — then you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

Special Edition Parent is about building a community where different parenting journeys are understood, supported, and celebrated. A place where you don’t have to explain yourself, pretend you’re coping, or walk this path alone.

💛 Follow along, join our community, and take what you need from this space. We’d love to walk beside you as we share the real, unfiltered life of a special edition family — the challenges, the joy, and everything in between.

You don’t have to do this alone.