The parenting life of Eliza Fendell and Jeff Oberg began in Miami-Dade County and has been an adventure from the start. The oldest required lifesaving surgery to remedy some birth defects. Their middle child is nonbinary, and their youngest has a specialized IEP for his learning challenges.
The parents had settled into their roles, working and learning and advocating for their kids whenever necessary. But when Florida began exacerbating its culture wars and alienating its health providers, they felt the only choice was to move everyone 1,500 miles and find a more secure and accommodating life in New England.
The sacrifices were considerable, but they’ve paid off amazingly well. Eliza and Jeff discuss the process and considerations that dictated where they’d go—including the care for Eliza’s father, whose Alzheimer’s became acute during COVID.
We also talk about feeling like a “political refugee” in your own country, how to completely unremember a Broadway show, and one of the more compelling reasons to like Ike.
Other links:
When the Banter Stops: 6:12
To accommodate blind LSAT takers, logic games are going away..
Florida’s HB 1557 “Don’t Say Gay” law, and how subsequent lawsuits were settled
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”
Michigan has codified LGBTQ protections into its civil rights law.
Resources for transgender individuals at TransSOCIAL.org.
Girl Scout Gold Awards
Episode 48: Eliza & Jeff moved north after Florida started messing with their kids.