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Welcome and thanks for stopping by shutupaboutyourperfectkid.com, the site for parents of special and other “imperfect” kids designed by “imperfect” parents. You can come here to relax, laugh, exchange ideas, and revel in the comfort of “imperfection.” (You don’t even have to comb your hair to visit us, though we do ask that you brush your teeth.) Be sure to read our humorous Blog, Submit a Story about your wonderfully imperfect child, participate in our Interactive Contests and Question of the Week (below). Maybe even purchase your copy of our imperfect book, Shut Up About...Your Perfect Kid!. Just remember what happens on this imperfect website, stays on this imperfect website. QUOTE OF THE WEEK While shopping in Provincetown, MA this past week, we came upon a greeting card with a picture of a woman sitting on a swing. The card said... "If it it weren't for my mood swings. I'd get no exercise at all." SHUT UP SISTERS PARTICIPATE IN FIRST PANEL DISCUSSION: WHAT MORE CAN MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS DO TO HELP FAMILIES? On Friday, June 27, we were honored to participate in a panel discussion at the 3rd Annual Orthopsychiatric Summer Symposium at the Cape Cod Institute in Eastham. The Conference focused on families and disabilities and drew mental health providers from around the country. The panel discussion allowed mental health professionals the opportunity to ask questions and uncover ways to better help family members. We shared some of our thoughts, but would love to hear some of yours in our question of the week. Just scroll down below to share your answer. IMPERFECTION CONNECTION MADE IN PA - TACKY BUMPER MAGNETS BRING TWO MOMS TOGETHER. Our new imperfect friend Debbie from Pennsylvania sent us the following email to remind us of just how small the world is. "I had to let you and Patty know that, today, on my way home from Harrisburg from NAMI PA Board of Directors meeting I saw a van with the back of it COVERED with "Shut-up" stickers. We then followed this vehicle further on I-80 and ended up at the same restaurant. Of course I just had to comment to the woman on the stickers. She and I shared several stories about our imperfect children. We had a de-lightful conversation though our husbands thought we were nuts. (We won't tell them that they are right on that fact.). Anyway, I had to let you know how you provided an opportunity to talk with somebody I otherwise would not have even noticed. The laughter was good medicine too!" For those of you skeptics in the crowd, we just want to clarify that neither Patty, Gina, nor the Senior Shipping Department were driving about in Pennsylvania this past week. BED AND BREAKFAST GETS IMPERFECT VISIT With a presentation scheduled on Cape Cod, we thought we would take advantage of a unique opportunity to take our children away with us and make it into a mini vacation. The conference planners had scheduled us for a three day stay at a lovely Cape Cod bed and breakfast. Having stayed at hotels and motels, the Shut Up Sisters had not experienced this cultural phenomenon. It didn't take us long to find out that we and our children were lacking in B and B etiquette. "Mom, can we go to Dunkin' Donuts?" asked Gina's daughter Katie when she saw the breakfast spread of yogurts, granola, fruit and berries laid out in front of her. Patty's kids weren't much better. "Mom, why do they have to watch us eat breakfast?" "Yeah Mom. It's kinda creepy." Truth be told, we were probably the worst. We had no idea of the rules and felt like we were thrust back into our childhoods on one of our favorite sitcoms, The Facts of Life, which featured teenage girls living in a boarding house run by Charlotte Rae or Mrs. Garrett as she is known on the street. "Patty! Are you nuts! Put away that bottle of wine. If 'Mrs. Garrett' sees us we'll get kicked out!" "Listen 'Tootie,' I'm on vacation and can do whatever I want." One of Patty's friends was equally baffled when we explained the Bed and Breakfast experience. "So let me get this straight. They sit around and watch you eat breakfast and you pay them to stay there." "Yeah, that's pretty much it." "Well that doesn't make sense. I think they should pay you for the company." |
Patty and Gina's parents (aka our Senior Shipping Department) want to remind you that there are plenty of copies still left in their basement.
Snap, Crackle, OUCH!
Patty and Gina, the faces of imperfection, were thrilled to be guests on NBC's 30 10:00 Morning News with the lovely Keisha Grant. If you missed the Shut Up Sisters on Boston TV, check out these clips: 
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