Sleeping with One Eye Open

​Any mom can tell you, we never quite surrender to deep slumber, wary of who might need us during the night. Extraordinary situations surrounding life with an exceptional child guarantees the REM sleep cycle is perpetually out of reach.

When my 25 year-old son was an infant, friends would ask if I yearned for a normal life. “Normal is highly overrated.” I’d snap back, desperately not wanting anyone to feel sorry for me. I still don’t.
 
I figure it out as we go, fiercely loving my son, hoping that life would not be so hard for him. In spite of the persistent challenges, setbacks and miles of torment, life with Luke is filled with joy, delicious giggles, and optimism.
 
My stars aligned when I met Susan, who, together with her son Sean, were living a parallel life. Terrified by the lack of options available to young adults for meaningful engagement, a social life and a home of their own, we set out to create the impossible: helping our sons see their dreams come true. That’s why we created The Extended Family, an enterprise that helps exceptional adults realize their dream of meaningful engagement and living in a home of their own.
 
Early on Susan’s husband quipped, “The Founding Fathers were responsible for creating America; you two are the Founding Mothers for our guys and many others.” When our knees buckle, we prop one another up with Founding Mother grit and determination to keep going, often through insurmountable odds. Today our sons are thriving in their own home and are on the verge of initiating social enterprises.
 
This is not solely about two sleepless moms; we like to think of ourselves as the back-up-band. The heart of this blog belongs to Luke and Sean, two guys who saved each other and in the process, are making the world a better place.
  
Hugs -
 
Laurie and Susan
Founding Mothers
TheExtendedFamily.Solutions