“He never gives up”: Talitha on raising her blind toddler and celebrating the small wins
Raising a blind toddler has changed the way Talitha sees motherhood.
We met the amazing Talitha at our recent Bounty Parents Marketplace event, and we’ve been loving following her honest take on motherhood ever since.
Mum to toddler Arlo, who was born blind, Talitha shares the funny, messy and sometimes challenging reality of raising her son, while showing the world just how much he is capable of.
From his first word and first steps to learning to use his baby cane, Talitha celebrates the big milestones and the tiny wins that can sometimes mean even more.
She also hosts Stories To Be Told With Talitha, a podcast built around honest conversations and the stories that connect us all.
Here, Talitha opens up about raising Arlo, the lessons he’s taught her and why she wants other families to know they’re not alone.
Meet Talitha. The mum sharing her journey raising a blind toddler
Tell us a little about Arlo. What is he like as a toddler and what is he really into at the moment?
Arlo is the happiest, smartest little toddler with immense energy, love and curiosity. He is a quick learner as has had to adapt to life differently as he was born blind, but his blindness doesn’t stop him from anything. He will always find a way and his perseverance and determination is so powerful and makes him one resilient boy.
What are some of the everyday moments with Arlo that bring you the most joy?
I would consider us very humorous together, like the ultimate best friends. Our energy just bounces off one another and we get each other’s jokes and how to make one another laugh. His laugh is contagious and then together we can’t stop it’s one of the best feelings in the world. nothing else matters at that moment except us. Sometimes I forget he’s not even two years old yet. Other moments like ordinary everyday things like bath time, eating, playing and talking are mostly enjoyable ( despite the normal toddler “challenging” days). He makes the ordinary enjoyable and I couldn’t have asked for a better little boy.
What do you wish more people understood about raising a blind child?
Raising a blind child is challenging despite all our good moments. From finding out Arlo was born blind at 4 months old, our world shifted and this was a really challenging time. We really found out that the world is not made for the disabled. I have had to adapt my own perspective, thoughts, feelings, environments, communication and teaching to ensure Arlo has the best chance in this world to be an independent citizen.
Raising a blind child takes a LOT of patience. Patience within yourself, patience with your child, your family, friends and community in person and online. Most importantly I wish more people understood that at the end of the day Arlo is also just a little crazy energetic boy that wants to play, make friends, be invited and have fun. He isn’t any less smart, any less able, any less fun because he is blind.
You’ve shared parts of Arlo’s journey, from starting solids through to daycare. What have been some of the biggest milestones you’ve celebrated?
Wow, this takes me back but I remember these like yesterday. Arlo saying his first word “mum” at 7 months old was such a milestone to celebrate.
Arlo rolling over from his back to his tummy was MASSIVE. I spent relentless hours teaching him the movement through feel and using noisy objects to motivate him to turn ( we waited a long time for this and it happened when Arlo was around 9 months old). Arlo never crawled so this movement was a really positive sign.
Any baby’s first steps are monumental but for Arlo walking one foot in front of another into the unknown on the trampoline was the most exciting day. He was 13 months old and that confidence to walk towards me on a moving surface was of course a viral video on social media collating to 12 million views.
Arlo sipping from a sippy cup was not an easy one to teach hahah but we got there in the end. Arlo reaching towards his bowl of food was a great moment in his development as he had to learn that food doesn’t just magically appear on a spoon. It comes from mum preparing it to being placed on a plate or bowl. His fine motor skills developed for this milestone.
Arlo receiving his baby cane and holding it in front of him for the first time ever was the coolest proudest moment. If he could say to us, “Don’t worry, I know I might skip a few things or steps and do things differently but I will always get there in the end,” he would. He is a learner that never gives up and that gives me great hope.
Social media can often make parenting look easy. What are some of the harder moments you’ve experienced that people might not see?
People always do share that phrase online and that’s because there definitely are challenging times. I have grieved the motherhood that I imagined, loss of friends, family challenges, financial hardship, missing family overseas, not having much of a physical village to give us a little break, SLEEP DEPRIVATION and regulating in really challenging situations.
What has Arlo taught you about patience, resilience and celebrating the small wins?
Arlo has taught me to stay in my own lane. Now this took a very long time to learn and it wasn’t a linear progression. From ordinary age milestones to development progressions with no age attached to it rather just working towards and achieving that goal , lots of tears from a challenging breastfeeding journey to realising that resilience is not how long you can do something for. Sometimes it’s about taking a step back, and doing what is best for yourself. Showing yourself you have done an amazing job to have tried your best but what’s best for yourself now is to look after yourself.
Small wins are just as important as big wins. Your child doesn’t need to achieve a milestone to celebrate it, if they slept 20 minutes longer at nap time, celebrate it. If you went for a walk and got out of the house to buy a coffee, celebrate it.
If you changed your newborn baby boy’s nappy and you caught the wee from going all over the walls and table, celebrate it. Arlo has taught me to be more kind to myself as I never celebrated those wins until I realised small wins are just as important as big wins.
How do you decide which parts of your family life you’re comfortable sharing?
I love sharing our real moments as well as what makes us all unique. I love sharing what I do as a mum, what Arlo is loving and also open up about the challenging times. If I have to think “Should I post it?” I won’t post it. Everything is authentic, real and hopefully to some relatable, entertaining and purely just real.
You also host Stories To Be Told With Talitha. What inspired you to start the podcast?
I started Stories To Be Told With Talitha as I shared how my family and I found out that Arlo was born blind. I recorded this video and posted it on YouTube and Spotify without really knowing what it was about to become. From sharing my personal story I realised, yes, my story is great, but actually there are so many other stories from people that I would love to hear from and share their story consensually with the wider community.
I love people, I love to talk and I love getting deep about the things that really matter. I started Stories To Be Told to help people feel less alone but also to connect with the community through all our unique challenges, success, goals, hardships and life stories. I am so grateful to be able to host such vulnerable and giving guests and I can’t wait to see where the podcast goes.
What have the people you’ve interviewed taught you about life, motherhood and the experiences we all carry? Is there a conversation from the podcast that has stayed with you?
As obvious as it seems we are all so unique, our challenges are unique, our timelines are unique, our goals, our relationships, our upbring, our background but one thing we tend to crave connection. Connecting makes us feel something from within. When I listen to people’s stories I am reminded that life moves fast, it’s not always fair and live everyday like it’s your last.
