Room for Growth: Staying Teachable as a Caregiver and Creator

Have you ever met someone who acts like they know everything? 🙄 Let’s be real—caregivers can be the worst at this. Everyone has “the” answer, the golden ticket, the one way you must do it.

But here’s the truth: nobody knows it all.

As I’ve been prepping for the prelaunch of my book, Interrupted Dreams, Unshakable Purpose, I’ve been in a lot of conversations with caregivers. And every time, I’m reminded of something I learned early on: it’s not about finding the one right answer—it’s about learning, piecing things together, and making it work for your real life.

Lessons From My Son With Trisomy 21

When my son was born with Trisomy 21, I had questions stacked higher than my coffee cups. ☕ I’d ask five different people the same question and—surprise, surprise—I’d get five different answers. Each one was convinced their way was the way.

But what actually helped me? Taking a little bit from each, testing it in our world, and keeping what worked. That’s been my rhythm ever since: learn, adapt, repeat.

Caregiver Learning Never Stops

Fast-forward to today, and I’m still learning. Caring for my mother-in-law recently introduced me to something I didn’t even know existed: sundowning. I thought I had a good handle on things, but this was brand new to me. Honestly, I still don’t know enough about it—so instead of pretending to be an expert, here’s a helpful link if you’d like to learn more too: Sundowning Information – Alzheimer’s Association.

And as my son’s caregiver, the learning never stops. He’s been gluten free for years, but now that he has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I’ve had to dive deeper. That’s when I discovered something wild: French fries are only truly gluten free if the restaurant has a dedicated fryer. 🍟 Why? Because if fries share the vat with breaded foods or anything containing gluten, there’s a big chance of cross-contamination—and then those fries aren’t gluten free anymore. Lesson learned!

Tech Reminders: You Don’t Know Everything

And it’s not just caregiving. I’m usually the “techy one” in my circle—the person people call when their computer glitches. But recently, my own laptop decided to throw a fit. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t fix it. I had to swallow my pride and call in help. Several kinds of help, actually. And as much as I hated admitting it, I didn’t know everything.

Why Staying Teachable Matters

Why Staying Teachable Matters

Somewhere along the way, many of us start believing that experience should equal expertise. The longer we’ve been caregiving, parenting, working, writing, or simply living, the more we feel pressure to have all the answers.

But I’ve found the opposite to be true.

The people I admire most aren’t the ones who know everything. They’re the ones who never stop asking questions.

Being teachable doesn’t mean you’re inexperienced. It doesn’t mean you’re weak or uninformed. It means you’re wise enough to recognize that there is always another perspective, another resource, another lesson waiting around the corner.

As caregivers, this can be especially difficult. We spend so much time advocating for others that we sometimes feel like we have to be the expert in every room. We want to protect the people we love, and that responsibility can make us cling tightly to what we think we know.

But growth requires open hands.

If I had assumed I already knew everything about raising a child with Down syndrome, I would have missed countless lessons over the years. If I believed I knew everything about aging, I wouldn’t be learning new things while helping care for my mother-in-law. If I thought I had technology completely figured out, I’d probably still be staring at a broken laptop.

Every season of life brings new challenges, and with those challenges come opportunities to learn.

The moment we stop learning is often the moment we stop growing.

So these days, I’m much more comfortable saying, “I don’t know.”

Not because I lack confidence, but because I’ve learned that curiosity is often more valuable than certainty.

And honestly? Some of the greatest breakthroughs in my life have started with those four simple words: I don’t know.  🌱

So let me ask you this: Are you open to learning too?

Is there an area of your life where you’ve been holding tightly to what you think you know?

Growth often begins when we’re willing to admit there might be more to discover.

In order for there to be room for growth, you have to be willing to see past what’s right in front of you. 🌱

Stay curious. Stay teachable. Keep growing.

✨ Interrupted Dreams, Unshakable Purpose is now launched. It’s not a book that pretends to have all the answers—it’s a companion for caregivers and creators who are figuring it out as they go (just like me).

👉 Want to stay in the loop with book updates, sneak peeks, and extra encouragement I don’t share anywhere else? Subscribe to my newsletter here. 📬

And don’t forget—you can also follow me on social for daily encouragement, behind-the-scenes updates, and a little sass along the way. 💛