S213: Safe to Be You: Parenting, Caregiving, and Blindness with Bethany Joy Boring

1) Episode Summary
Host Kim Wardlow continues the Navigating Life with Vision Loss safety series by exploring what “safety” really means in parenting and caregiving—far beyond outlet covers and baby gates. Guest Bethany Joy Boring, a blind single mom, speaker, author, and mental health coach, shares candid stories about raising three boys while navigating progressive vision loss and hearing loss.
Together, Kim and Bethany unpack the balance between protecting kids and letting them grow, how blindness can actually deepen trust and connection within a family, and the emotional side of handing over the car keys—whether you’re a parent losing vision or an older adult facing new limitations.
Bethany offers practical ideas for building emotional safety at home (“Do I see you? Do I hear you?”), communicating limits without shame, using technology (yes, including AI and AirTags) as a safety tool, and handling “safety oops” moments—like mistaking the cat’s paw for a ping-pong ball or the microwave crash that became a family legend.
The conversation then shifts to caring for older adults who are losing vision, including radical acceptance, grief, and how to avoid turning safety into control. Bethany emphasizes creating a truly safe space for hard conversations, so both caregiver and loved one feel heard, valued, and part of the decisions being made.
She closes with a powerful reminder: surviving is good, but thriving is different. Thriving is about what God is doing in and through your life so that others look at you and wonder, “What do they have that I don’t?” Kim wraps up with gratitude for listeners, a reminder about Colorado Gives Day, and a preview of next week’s episode on building your safety network.

2) Contact Info
Guest – Bethany Joy Boring
• Website: https://stepoutandthrive.com
• Link hub: https://bethanybjoy.com
Aftersight / Navigating Life with Vision Loss
• Website: https://aftersight.org
• Be a guest or share feedback: [e-mail]
• Phone: [phone]
Producer Contact
Jonathan Price
Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight
Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

3) Show Credits
Show: Navigating Life with Vision Loss — an Aftersight Original Podcast
Episode: Parenting, Caregiving, and Safety
Host: Kim Wardlow
Guest: Bethany Joy Boring (speaker, mental health coach, author)
Producer: Jonathan Price
Production Support: The Aftersight Team
Organization: Aftersight, a nonprofit serving the blind and low-vision community
4) Chapter Markers
00:00 – Welcome, safety series overview, Colorado Gives Day, and introducing Bethany Joy Boring
02:22 – What “safety” really means: physical, emotional, logistical, and relational
04:37 – Blind mom ping-pong story and the accidental cat-claw grab
06:59 – “Did all three of them come from you?”: confronting judgment about blind parenting
09:27 – Raising kids who see people, not labels: conference stories and normalizing disability
11:50 – Blindness, single parenting, and modeling resilience through hard conversations
14:15 – Keys, cars, and independence: teaching a teen to drive while losing vision
16:40 – Being honest with kids about limits, code words, and joking about spiders
19:02 – The escape artist cat, AirTags, and using tech creatively for safety
21:27 – When partners or helpers “over-help”: advocating for independence with grace
23:51 – Supporting older adults losing vision: radical acceptance and shared reality
26:05 – You can’t change what you can’t name: making space for hard truths on both sides
28:30 – Aging, expectations, and not wanting to be a burden: listening before “fixing”
30:56 – Curiosity over assumptions: slowing down and creating a safe atmosphere for change
33:16 – “You protect what you value”: what Bethany’s kids have taught her about safety and worth
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