About five months ago, I began writing this Substack because I wanted to share our family’s journey with mental health challenges. I hoped that perhaps my writing could encourage a few people and create a community of folks who care for teens with mental health issues. I also wanted to challenge myself to shift from writing in private (for three years, I’ve been writing a memoir about parenting Ellie through her eating disorder) to sharing my work publicly. And maybe, hopefully, someone besides my husband and a few close friends would read it.
To be honest, for a while, I was too scared to start. I took a few months to observe other Substack writers and dreamed about what my newsletter could be. When I still had cold feet, I signed myself up for a quick digital course on writing a Substack, which was less about craft and more about giving myself a pep talk. I felt like I needed someone to hold my hand as I jumped into a dark, cold lake (which is literally a dreaded activity for me - just ask my children).
Almost five months later, I’m amazed by the results. The act of writing each week about our parenting challenges has been healing for me personally. But even more, I’ve been touched by your responses. Many of you have sent me emails and direct messages to share your own stories. Others have encouraged me through likes and comments. Some of you have reached out just when I wondered if anyone was reading this at all. Some of you have become new friends, and it’s been so fun to get to know you. Many of you have subscribed and invited your friends to subscribe, which means so much! I just want to say THANK YOU! I am so grateful for each of you for your encouragement, your vulnerable sharing, and your companionship along the way. You are teaching me more about how to walk this road of parenting teens like Ellie.
I’m traveling this weekend, exploring a new city and visiting colleges with my sixteen-year-old son William. I’ll be back next week with new reflections. Preview: I have some happy news to share next time!
I’d love to ask you for a favor. If you know someone who would enjoy it, would you please share this Substack with them? It’s free and I’d love to connect with more folks. Writing this Substack has helped me to clarify my purpose: I’m not just here to write, but to serve and connect with folks who love someone with mental health struggles. I’d appreciate your help to reach more people.
Second, I’d love to get to know you more. Whether we’ve never connected before or if we’ve chatted a few times, feel free to drop a comment below or hit reply if you’d like to share more of your story. Building relationships is a huge value for me. I also love to pray for people, so I’m happy to know any prayer requests you have, whether it’s about a loved one with mental health challenges or for you personally. Let me know and I’ll be praying for you in the weeks to come.
Thanks again for joining me in this journey with your friendship and love!
Hey Serena. I'm happy to have stumbled across your Substack! I've got three young ones (7 mo, 7, 9) and I wanted to write on Substack as a sort of way to reflect and share the parenting lessons I've learned so far. A lot of these lessons I've learned through prayer, as faith in God is the biggest reason why I am still standing after all the trials the Lord has allowed in my life so far! I just want to be a better dad, and seeing that I'm around the corner from raising teenagers, reading some of your posts will be insightful in the future!