Precerpt from Raising God's Rainbow Makers - What Kids Will Say: Lizzie’s Catholic School Math Class
Second grade at St. Alphonsus was no joke. It was a stretch academically—and financially. We chose Catholic school because it offered more challenge than the local public school, and we could just barely afford it. Tuition checks were written with prayer and crossed fingers. At home, we were transparent about money. Lizzie, precocious and perceptive, absorbed more than we realized.
One day, her math teacher—a sweet sister with a chalkboard and a mission—wrote the problem:
23 - 35.
She asked the class, “What’s wrong with this problem?” expecting a chorus of “We copied it wrong!” Her point: slow down, be careful, copy accurately.
But Lizzie had other ideas.
She raised her hand and said, “Maybe the problem is forgetting the negative sign, when you write the answer, -12.”
The sister blinked. Negative numbers were not on the second-grade syllabus. She replied gently, “There is no such thing as negative numbers.”
Lizzie, ever the truth-seeker, tilted her head and asked, “Well, if that’s the case… why does Mom have them in her checkbook?”
Oh, Lordy. I could feel the tuition check bouncing in slow motion.
Parenting Rainbow Makers means living with truth-tellers. They don’t just color outside the lines—they redraw them. They ask the questions adults avoid. They speak with clarity, innocence, and inconvenient wisdom. And sometimes, they expose your overdraft fees to the Sisters of St. Alphonsus.
Lizzie wasn’t trying to be cheeky. She was trying to make sense of the world. And in her world, math and money were real, lived things. She saw the numbers in my checkbook and assumed they belonged in her classroom, too.
God bless the teachers who meet these kids with grace. And God bless the parents who write tuition checks with faith and a sense of humor.
Book Description:
A Family Memoir of Grace, Grit, and Growing Up Different
What happens when a military family welcomes four children—each with wildly different needs—into a world not always built to support them?
In Raising God’s Rainbow Makers, one mother shares the remarkable journey of raising two children with complex disabilities—one with spina bifida, one with CHARGE Syndrome—and two intellectually gifted children, all born in different states during years of military life. Through medical crises, educational challenges, and societal roadblocks (both intentional and unintentional), this honest and inspiring memoir tells the story of how one family built a life of strength, compassion, and resilience.
With warmth and unflinching honesty, the author reflects on emergency surgeries, IEP battles, unexpected victories, and the fierce sibling bonds that formed in the face of it all. The children—now grown—bear witness to the power of support, faith, and never giving up.
This is not just a story of survival. It is a celebration of difference, a chronicle of hope, and a powerful testament to what love and determination can build when the world says "impossible."
Keywords:
Parenting memoir; Special needs parenting; Raising children with disabilities; Military family life; Family resilience; Inspirational family story; Faith-based memoir; Coping with medical challenges; Sibling support stories; Gifted children; Spina bifida; CHARGE Syndrome; Hydrocephalus; Congenital disabilities; Complex medical needs; Pediatric neurosurgery; IEP and special education; Gifted education; Educational advocacy; Inclusive education; Hope and healing; Courage and strength; Love and perseverance; Raising different children; Disability acceptance; Parenting through adversity; Overcoming barriers; Finding joy in hardship; Special needs journey; Family unity and support; For parents of disabled children; For parents of gifted children; For educators and therapists; Christian parenting memoir; For families facing rare diagnoses; Real-life parenting stories; Memoirs about raising children; Stories of medical miracles
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