I Was The Mom Who Knew Something Was Off With My Son Behavior. Then Spent Way Too Much Time Talking Myself Out Of It.
A safe, welcoming place for mothers to trust what they see, honor what they feel, and move forward with support.
Coach Okenya
My Story
Before I became Coach Okenya, I was that mom.
The one who noticed her child wasn't doing certain things other children his age were doing.
The one who kept asking people, "Do you think this is normal?"
And the one who kept hearing the same damn answers.
"Boys develop slower."
"He'll talk when he's ready."
"You're worrying too much."
And guess what?
I listened.
Not because I didn't see what was happening. Because part of me wanted them to be right.
Because if they were right, I wouldn't have to face what I was afraid of finding out.
LET ME TELL YOU HOW I GOT HERE.
I became a first-time mom at 35.
And motherhood? Whew. That was already kicking my ass in ways I wasn't prepared for.
I was dealing with postpartum depression, questioning myself, and trying to figure out if I was even doing this motherhood thing right.
Meanwhile, my son was getting older, and I started noticing things.
His speech wasn't developing like I expected.
He wasn't pointing.
He was struggling to communicate.
And while I was watching other children his age do certain things, I kept wondering why my son wasn't doing them yet.
But everybody seemed so sure he'd catch up.
Everybody except me.
Eventually, I brought my concerns to the educational specialist at his Early Head Start program.
Even then, I had to speak up more than once before the referral was made.
And when he finally had his first evaluation?
He didn't qualify for services.
Now imagine that.
I'm sitting there watching my child struggle, and the evaluation is telling me he doesn't need support.
For a moment, I could've taken that answer and gone right back to waiting.
But something wasn't sitting right with me.
Because the evaluation was over, but what I was seeing at home hadn't changed.
So I pushed for another one.
And the second time?
My son qualified for speech therapy and special instruction.
THAT'S WHEN I STARTED FINDING MY VOICE.
I had to learn how to ask questions.
How to document what I was seeing.
How to speak up when I didn't agree.
And how to stop thinking that just because somebody had a title, they automatically knew my child better than I did.
My son's journey continued through Early Intervention, preschool special education, and eventually school-age services and an IEP.
And believe me, finding my voice didn't mean I suddenly stopped being scared.
It meant I stopped letting fear make every decision for me.
AND THAT'S WHY I CREATED MOTHER'S VOICE COACHING.
Because I know there's a mom reading this right now who sees something in her child that keeps bothering her.
Maybe your child is struggling to communicate.
Maybe homework ends in tears every damn night.
Maybe the school keeps calling about their behavior.
Or maybe you can't even explain what you're seeing yet. You just know you have questions.
And every time you're ready to do something, somebody convinces you to wait.
Sis, I know that woman because I was her.
Today, I'm a certified life coach and the founder of Mother's Voice Coaching.
I help moms work through the fear, guilt, self-doubt, and learned silence that keep them from speaking up about their child's development or behavior.
We work on finding your voice, trusting your observations, asking questions, and taking meaningful steps toward getting answers and support.
Because I learned something on this journey:
You can love your child with everything in you and still be scared to speak up.
But you don't have to stay that way.
I'M NOT HERE TO BE YOUR CHILD'S VOICE.
I'm here to help you find yours.
And if you're tired of questioning yourself every time somebody tells you to wait, it's time we have a conversation.
Transformation
You stop waiting for someone else to validate your concerns and start trusting your instincts enough to take action.
