“I thought it was just me”: Real parents on isolation, judgment, and finding community

At Understood.org, everything we create starts with one simple goal: to truly support the people we serve. That means not just sharing expert-backed resources, but listening. Really listening.

We hear from parents every day. In our Facebook community groups. In comments on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. In emails sent late at night after a hard day. In the small, honest moments when parents share what’s actually working. And what isn’t.

Here, we bring you those voices. The experiences, frustrations, fears, and small wins you’ll read here come directly from real parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

It’s something one parent shared in response to another who was struggling to get their child the support they needed at school and was considering homeschooling. It wasn’t meant to discourage. It was meant to say: I see you. I’ve been there too.

Because for many parents of kids who learn and think differently, that feeling comes early and often: I thought it was just me.

A parent expressed this when talking about the advocacy process within the school system. For many parents, the isolation starts in the very places where they expect to find support.

“All of it! Never-ending battle!” one parent said when asked about the hardest part of the IEP process.

IEP meetings can feel overwhelming. Everyone there wants to support your child. But sometimes the resources or support your child really needs just aren’t there. Communicating with the school feels like a full-time job.

The isolation doesn’t stop at school. Parents describe feeling misunderstood — and often judged — by the people closest to them.

Relatives questioning parenting choices. Friends misinterpreting behaviors. Or partners who don’t fully understand what’s going on. The message parents often receive is: You should be doing this differently.

And that message sticks.

Even when parents are advocating, researching, adjusting, and doing everything they can, a voice inside them says: It’s still not enough. There’s a lingering fear that somehow, despite all their effort, they’re missing something. Or worse, letting their child down.

That fear can be especially heavy because it’s rooted in love. Parents aren’t questioning whether they care enough — they’re questioning whether they’re doing enough. And when the systems around them fall short, or progress feels slow, that doubt has nowhere to go but inward.

And then, something changes…

This was a comment left on an episode of Everyone Gets a Juice Box, our newest podcast for parents of neurodivergent kids. In each episode, host Jessica Shaw shares her own fears, triumphs, and candid moments as a parent navigating this journey. And she sits down with other parents who do the same.

For many parents, the turning point isn’t finding a perfect strategy or hearing the perfect advice.

It’s when they find other parents and families who understand.

Sometimes it’s hearing an experience on one of our podcasts that feels like it could be your own.

Sometimes it’s reading a comment on one of our Facebook groups that sounds exactly like your own internal dialogue. 

We’re proud to consistently hear feedback like this:

• “Groups like this one provide the needed support and it’s truly wonderful not to feel alone in the struggle.”

• “Thank you for this ... it’s so nice to read people’s experiences and comments. It brings a lot of comfort and encouragement.”

• “This could be my story.”

• “I’ve never related so much to anything.”

• “I feel seen and less like a broken object.”

That shift — from “I thought it was just me” to “There are others like me” — can be profound.

The pressure to have all the answers softens. The self-doubt gets quieter. The isolation starts to melt away.

Not because everything is suddenly easy, but because you’re no longer facing it by yourself.

That’s why spaces like Understood.org’s community exist. To bring parents together — not just to learn, but to share, to vent, to ask questions without judgment, and to feel understood.

Because sometimes, the most powerful thing you can hear is: “I get it.”

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

There’s a whole community of parents navigating these same challenges. Asking the same questions. Carrying the same worries. And trying their best to show up for their kids every single day.

We created Everyone Gets a Juice Box for exactly this reason: to bring those voices together. To share real experiences from parents who “get it,” and to create space for connection, honesty, and a little bit of relief.

• Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box to hear from parents like you. If you or someone you know would be interested in being a guest on the podcast, fill out this interest survey.

• Join our Facebook community to connect with other families who understand.

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