Watching Her Fly

A Mother's Heart, a Daughter's Courage, and the Dream That Became My Learning Farm

There are moments in life that quietly take your breath away. Not because they're loud or dramatic, but because they remind you just how far someone has come. Standing in the streets of Florence, Italy, watching my daughter confidently navigate trains, buses, winding medieval streets, grocery stores, cafés, and university life, I found myself smiling through tears. It wasn't simply because she was living in Italy—it was because I knew the incredible journey it had taken to get her there.

Ava and I in Italy-she's growing up and spreading her wings and I couldn't be happier for her.

Years ago, I wasn't sure what the future would hold. Like many parents, we heard words that felt overwhelming: dyslexia, dyscalculia, and anxiety. Those diagnoses didn't define my daughter, but they certainly shaped our family's path. There were difficult days filled with tutoring sessions, homework that ended in tears, counseling appointments, moments of self-doubt, and countless conversations reminding her that learning differently did not mean she was less capable. Through it all, our family kept moving forward together—one lesson, one success, one challenge at a time.

Ava showing me her local grocery store and explaining when she got sick she went to the pharmacy and drank a lot of electrolytes.

Fast forward to this summer, and there she was living in Florence, Italy. She chose to study abroad without knowing a single person in her program. She enrolled in six university units in Italy while simultaneously completing another six units of online college coursework. She learned to navigate trains and buses, found her favorite cafés, grocery shopped in a foreign country, explored museums and historic churches, and built friendships with students. Every day she grew a little more confident, a little more independent, and a little more certain of herself.

As her mom, I couldn't have been more proud. Not because she earned college credits or traveled across the world, but because I watched her truly embrace life. I saw her laugh, explore, try new things, and confidently step into experiences that once might have felt impossible. She wasn't simply surviving—she was thriving. She was glowing in a way that only comes from years of hard work are bearing fruit.

Watching her in Italy reminded me that progress is rarely measured by a single report card, test score, or milestone. Sometimes the greatest victories are the ones that happen quietly over time. They are built through years of patient instruction, family support, counseling, perseverance, and countless small victories that eventually become life-changing confidence.

Laughing at the food in Italy-they sure like to mangia

 I have absolutely no doubt she will become an exceptional nurse. Her compassion, determination, resilience, and genuine love for people cannot be measured by any standardized test. Those qualities were developed through the very challenges she once thought might hold her back.

This trip also reminded me why My Learning Farm exists.

Ava shopping and using her Italian language skills

I never intended to start a business. My Learning Farm grew from a mother's desire to understand her own children and help them discover that they were capable of far more than the world sometimes expected. I wanted my children to experience success, confidence, and joy in learning. As I learned alongside them, that personal journey slowly became a calling to help other families walk a similar path.

Using her Italy Taxi app to call us a taxi like it was second nature

Today, as my own children are spreading their wings, I have the incredible privilege of helping children build theirs. Every time I watch a student decode a difficult word, write a paragraph with confidence, master a challenging math concept, or proudly read aloud to their family, I am reminded that learning is about so much more than academics. It is about helping children believe in themselves and discover what is possible.

If you're a parent in the middle of the hard years, I want you to know that I understand. I've been there. I know what it's like to wonder if your child will ever catch up, to search for answers, and to celebrate progress that others may not even notice. But I also know what can happen when children receive the right support, explicit instruction, patient encouragement, and unwavering belief from the people who love them most.

Her apartment in Italy

One day, you may find yourself watching your own child step confidently into a future that once seemed uncertain. Maybe it will be at a college graduation, in their first career, on an overseas adventure, or simply reading a favorite book with confidence. Whatever that moment looks like, I hope you'll pause to take it all in—because those victories are worth celebrating.

Her favorite meal at her favorite cafe in Florence, this girl missed simple American food after a summer of Italian foods.

At My Learning Farm, I would be honored to walk alongside your family. Whether your child needs support in reading, writing, spelling, or math, a homeschool consultation, an academic assessment, educational coaching, special education advocacy, or joyful enrichment through our READS! literature classes or farm classes, our goal is always the same: to help children build the skills, confidence, and joy that allow them to flourish.

Watching my daughter thrive in Italy reminded me that learning differences do not limit a child's future. With the right support, children grow into capable, compassionate, resilient adults who pursue their dreams with confidence.

Sometimes all a child needs is someone who believes in them until they learn to believe in themselves.

I believe in them.

And I would be honored to believe in yours, too.