Precerpt from Raising God's Rainbow Makers: Shane's 10-year-old Gigs

 

Shane was always bored at school, even after skipping four grades. He began first grade six weeks after turning three. We had tried to place him in preschool, but on the very first day the director met me at the door and said, “A child who can read full books, add, subtract, multiply, divide, and work with fractions does not belong in preschool.” The university lab school agreed and moved him directly into first grade. His only complaint was that he couldn’t reach the doorknob to get into the building by himself.

The next seven years were marked by a steady pattern of running away from school because he was so bored. When Arlington Public Schools in Virginia tested him at age seven (he was in fourth grade at the time), they found his math skills were at the pre‑calculus level, and the books he preferred were the ones college students struggled with. He especially liked Faulkner. Teachers had no idea what to do with him, and unsurprisingly, he was not fond of school. He preferred the library, where he could educate himself at his own pace.

A bright spot appeared when he was in seventh grade—age ten. He was already being excused from algebra class after asking the teacher not to teach during class because it interfered with his learning. He spent that hour in the guidance office studying independently; taking the class tests with his peers was his only interaction with them. But even that arrangement was becoming stale.

Then Doah brought home an urgent note from his elementary school. They had just received a computer lab for the library and desperately needed a community volunteer to teach the students how to use the machines. This was the early era of personal computers, and few teachers knew how to operate the Apple IIc.

Shane did. He knew that computer and several others. At the time, he had an informal internship at the State Department—thanks to my job there—where he worked one day a week assisting the computer contractor and showing the faculty of the Foreign Service Institute how to use their new systems. He loved it, and the staff loved him.

When he saw the note from Doah’s school, he immediately wanted to be the community volunteer. He asked for Friday mornings off from junior high to do it (in addition to the day he interned at State Department). The school, not knowing what to do with him anyway and generally supportive, agreed. Shane loved that gig as much as his State Department one. The librarian adored him, and whenever there was a school assembly, she made sure he got to attend with the other kids—for his enrichment.

Years later, when Shane was putting together his résumé for his first paid job, he didn’t include either experience. “No one is going to believe it,” he said. He was probably right, though both the FSI staff and the elementary school would have gladly written references. “No,” he insisted, “it makes me seem not normal.”

Perhaps the most important thing is simply that he enjoyed both gigs.

Book Description:

Raising God's Rainbow Makers

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

 

For more posts about Elizabeth and her books, click HERE. 

Read more stories -- and photos -- about the Mahlou family in the blog (no longer maintained), Clan of Mahlou.

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