Welcome to Bootcamp for the Brave (a.k.a. My Life on the Front Lines of Adulthood Transition)
If you’re here, chances are you’re a fellow parent navigating the wild, wonderful, and sometimes downright bewildering world of raising a child with special needs. If so, welcome to the club no one signed up for but everyone’s stronger because of.
My name is Melissa Monteith, and for over two decades, I’ve been marching, limping, and occasionally crawling my way through IEP meetings, medical appointments, and endless waiting lists with my daughter, Sarah. She’s nonverbal, has Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, and a knack for turning even the most ordinary day into an unforgettable adventure.
Sarah is the kind of kid who can find joy in the hum of a ceiling fan and wonder in the way sunlight bounces off her favorite spoon. She’s also the reason I learned how to decode a 20-page state service application, juggle five specialists, and advocate like a mama bear with a coffee IV.
So why start a blog now? Because when Sarah aged out of school, I realized that the safety net I thought would catch us was more like a thin string tied around a paper cup. The transition to adulthood is where many of us parents find ourselves standing on a cliff, looking out over the unknow, and that’s exactly why I wrote Bootcamp for the Brave.
But this blog isn’t about selling books (though yes, there’s one over there if you’re curious). It’s about sharing what happens in between the milestones, the messy, funny, honest moments that rarely make it into the brochures. Like the time Sarah and I celebrated her new day program by accidentally locking ourselves out of the house. In the rain. With the dog still inside, wagging her tail in moral support.
Here, I’ll share stories, small victories, survival hacks, and maybe even a few “you-can’t-make-this-up” moments that will remind you:
- You’re not alone.
- You’re doing better than you think.
- And it’s okay to laugh—even when life feels impossible.
We’re all just trying to find our footing in this next chapter of parenting, the one without school bells, therapy schedules, or transition coordinators to guide us. So, pull up a chair, grab your beverage of choice (mine is coffee strong enough to stand a spoon in), and let’s figure this out together.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Sarah, it’s that bravery doesn’t always look like boldness. Sometimes it’s just waking up, facing another unpredictable day, and saying, “Let’s do this.”
Welcome to Bootcamp for the Brave.
We may be tired, but we’re still showing up and that, my friends, is what brave really looks like.
About the Author
Melissa Monteith is a writer, educator, and advocate who believes that raising a child with disabilities isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s also full of extraordinary lessons in courage, patience, and love. She’s the author of Bootcamp for the Brave: A Parent Survival Guide for Navigating Special Needs Adulthood and the founder of Word Beacon Creative Studio. Melissa lives in Massachusetts with her daughter, Sarah, and their ever-faithful sidekick, Maggie the dog.
