+1 thanks Jeff! DCUM has been a source of entertainment, information and comfort through all the ages and stages of my life in the last 15 years.

Anonymous wrote:Discovered in 2007 amidst miscarriages.

Same but 10 years later amidst miscarriages, TTC, infertility, and IVF. That board had great medical advice and just personal support. So many informed posters willing to share their experiences. I got details on specific practices and doctors.

Like other PPs I've now had my own kids and moving through the parenting forums (and schools, camps, and all those forums) as they grow. Plus jobs and even (sigh) politics.

Thank you!!

I am going to be leaving this forum as of tonight. This has been the most helpful tool for raising a child from middle school through college. Thanks to this forum I learned how to navigate my child through the private school process and successfully into a very coveted and affordable college. Seriously I learned as much from DCUM about the process than I did from my own research and the school counselors! And the weather, you always called school closures perfectly! I’ve been able to put up with the extreme wealth posts, but I can’t anymore. With the RIF’s now going to happen we are going to fail further down the ladder. And this place has gotten so mean. I will really miss DCUM, and thank you Jeff for all you do!

I wish I had discovered this site when my kid was little. As a first time mother with an only, so much was an unknown. People on this site offer a wealth of knowledge and experience with schools, school administrations, how to handle friend situations, and so on. It is an amazing resource.

Jeff, a heartfelt thanks from me also! Think it’s been a good fifteen years for me now on DCUM. I’ve found so much helpful information and advice on many topics — particularly when I started a family as well as went through my parents aging and then passing away. I’ve tried to give back (with kindness) in areas where I felt I had some knowledge or experience to share. Thanks again!

Discovered in 2007 amidst miscarriages.

Yep, me too. Discovered in 2008 when pregnant with my first.

jsteele wrote:We always enjoy messages of appreciation. So thanks for the posts. I wish that I could accept credit for the Special Needs forum, but any benefit there is entirely due to the users.

It always amazes me how many posters have been here for several years.

I've been here ten or fifteen years at least and I'll bet there is a significant number of others who have too.

I first discovered dcum the listserv when my child was born in 2006. The SN forum got me through his autism diagnosis. He's now graduating from a high school I identified with the help of the SN forum.

Thanks Jeff!

SN forum. Kid muscled way into nursing school. Thanks to everyone here! (No thanks to MCPS!)

I agree too. Not SN but DCUM helped me through multiple miscarriages, through knowing what to expect and also ample distraction, and eventually finding the right OB to go onto have my very own Larla and Larlos.

I also remember the thread from the dad with terminal cancer, asking for advice on how to tell his college aged daughter. That was very touching.

We always enjoy messages of appreciation. So thanks for the posts. I wish that I could accept credit for the Special Needs forum, but any benefit there is entirely due to the users.

It always amazes me how many posters have been here for several years.

Agreed. I’ve guten so much support from the SN forum.

I entirely agree. I came to DCUM more than 15 years ago, drawn to the SN forum. That kid has now clawed his way to a decent college.

So thank you, Jeff and SN forum members.

I just want to say thank you to Jeff for this website. It has brought me through so much, including having a family and difficult children, including a child with multiple SN. It has helped me navigate many parenting challenges. Like any website, you have to take everything with a grain of salt, but once you accept that, there has been so much to offer.

To be clear this is a past and future thing. But one day there will be only past. So just to be sure I say this before that occurs, thank you. Now back to the usual.