Living in their dream house on the water in Toms River, Liane and Eric Birchler were sure of one thing: their kids would learn how to swim. The couple are parents to four-year-old Timothy and Elizabeth, age three. They chose Pied Piper Swim School in Toms River, and started attending “parent and child” classes when Tim was one.
When Tim started attending classes on his own, Liane, and Pied Piper owner, Lori Ziemer, both noticed that his classmates were speaking more than he was. Liane and Eric started doing research and decided to have Tim evaluated. Diagnosed with a severe language delay, Tim started speech therapy at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Toms River, and received assistance from the county’s Early Intervention Program until he qualified for the Early Learning Center, a specialized preschool program provided through the Toms River school district at age three. As other issues started to present themselves, a neuropsychologist diagnosed Tim with Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), an autism spectrum disorder. Through it all, Tim continued with his lessons at Pied Piper.
Tim’s PDD-NOS does not define him, and it definitely has not interrupted his swimming. The Birchlers credit Lori, her husband, Bob, and their daughter, Jennifer, for much of Tim’s success. The Pied Piper staff offered Tim patience and understanding as he learned, never treating him differently than the other students, but adapting the program so Tim could accomplish his goals. Lori believes that the Birchlers’ dedication to their children, and their commitment to swimming lessons are also crucial, stating “Liane and Eric know this is a sport Tim can master to the best of his ability. Even though he has a challenge, he can still achieve success.”
Elizabeth has also attended lessons at Pied Piper since age one, and the Birchlers are thrilled with the strides both children have made. “Now we are confident that if they fall in the water, they won’t panic because they know how to get themselves out safely. Of course, they still need constant supervision, but their ability to swim gives us just a bit more peace of mind,” says Liane. And the fact that the kids have grown to love spending time in the water, makes living at the Jersey Shore just a bit more fun!
YCT: Tell us a little about your family and the personalities of each of your children.
Liane: Tim is very lovey, a real cuddler. He has a terrific sense of humor. Although his speech delay causes him to struggle to communicate sometimes, he’s such a sweetheart. He is very physical and loves to run and climb. He enjoys letters and numbers – he’s always counting! But his most favorite thing is cars – he can be in a room full of toys, but if he finds one Matchbox car, that is what he will play with.
Elizabeth is a true girly-girl. She loves princesses and ponies, basically anything pink or purple! She loves to play dress-up and in her little kitchen. Both Eric and I love to cook, and now she does, too. Whenever I’m in the kitchen, she will come in and ask what I’m making, then say ‘I make too!’ She loves to sit on the counter and measure, pour and mix. She’s very sweet and likes to help around the house. She especially likes sweeping and doing laundry – let’s hope she continues to enjoy these chores! She’s very strong-minded and wise beyond her years – sometimes she thinks she’s a teen-ager!
The kids have a very typical sibling dynamic – they play together one minute and torture each other the next. But they both LOVE books! Lately, if I’m busy, they will sit down with a basket of books and “read” to each other by making up stories based on the pictures. It’s adorable!
YCT: What is a typical day like in your home?
Liane: Eric owns Birchler Realtors and Appraisers in Lavallette which specializes in home sales, summer rentals, certified appraisals and tax appeals. He has some flexibility with his schedule, allowing him to be home on Fridays, since he works most Saturdays. I work for an insurance consulting firm in Haddonfield. Tim attends preschool at the Early Learning Center for five hours, five days a week, and his bus comes at 8:00 a.m. On the days when I work, I leave around 7:30 a.m., so Eric will get Tim on the bus and get Elizabeth settled with either my mom or Eric’s mom. Eric gets home first on my work days, so he gets dinner started and bathes the kids.
When I’m home, after Tim leaves for school, I take Elizabeth to swim class or we run errands. She loves to go to the library. When Tim gets home, if he doesn’t have swim class, the kids usually play while I get dinner started. They both love to do puzzles and Tim enjoys educational websites on the computer. Music is another shared love. They play music on their little CD player, sing and dance around the house.
On Tuesdays, Tim has supplemental therapy at home. We hired his therapist from Early Intervention. Since he started attending the Early Learning Center, Tim has made tremendous progress with his ability to communicate and deal with frustrations. Our private therapist is able to tailor to Tim’s individual issues at home, which is also very helpful.
Other than occasional meetings or workshops at Tim’s school, we like to stay home in the evenings to rest and renew our strength for the next day. On the weekends, we like to spend as much time together as possible. We are a big football family – Eric loves the Steelers and I’m a Giants fan!
YCT: What other activities do your children participate in?
Liane: Other than Pied Piper, the kids don’t have extra activities right now. Elizabeth will be starting preschool at Westminster in Toms River next fall. She’ll probably start with dance or gymnastics then, as well.
YCT: What is your favorite thing to do locally with your family?
Liane: During the summer, we love to go to Island Beach State Park. We have a pass that allows us to drive our truck on the beach. We’ll spend the whole day – there’s always lots of kids up there for Tim and Elizabeth to play with. We also enjoy going to the boardwalk.
YCT: Do you have any favorite vacation spots?
Liane: Eric and I always take a week off from work in the summer, and head up to the beach every day. There’s nothing like lounging around on the beach, then heading home for showers and a quick dinner – it’s very relaxing. Last December, we took our first big family vacation to the Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos. We were very nervous, but everything went well and we had a fantastic time.
YCT: Have you ever gone on vacation without the kids?
Liane: Once in a while, Eric and I will take a quick overnight trip to New York City or Atlantic City.
YCT: Do you have a favorite family-friendly restaurant?
Liane: Surf Taco is a favorite of the whole family. There’s something on the menu for everyone. We go to different locations to switch it up a bit!
YCT: What is your favorite date night location and how often do you get to go out with just your husband?
Liane: We enjoy going to the Atlantic Bar & Grill in South Seaside Park. Since our mothers are so good about helping out with the kids during the work week, we try not to ask them to babysit on weekends. Fortunately, we have a couple of awesome babysitters so we can get out alone at night every couple of months.
YCT: What is your favorite non-mommy thing to do and how often do you get to do it?
Liane: I try to get together with my girlfriends every so often. I also enjoy shopping by myself or getting a pedicure – special treats!
YCT: What is your husband¹s favorite non-daddy thing to do?
Liane: Eric works a lot of hours during the week, and Saturdays. But occasionally, he’ll run out and watch a game with a friend or head out on his boat and fish.
YCT: Do you patronize any advertisers from our magazine?
Liane: Besides Pied Piper, we also enjoy the boardwalks at Jenkinson’s and Casino Pier. The kids love the rides and skee-ball!
YCT: Do you have any parenting advice that you would like to offer our readers?
Liane: I would say to follow your gut – if you think something is wrong, it just may be. No one knows your kids like you do, so if you think they need help, go ahead and push for it. If you go to a doctor and don’t get a clear answer, get a second opinion. You never know who may give you the information you desperately need.
YCT: What is your favorite part of Your Child Today magazine?
Liane: I like to read through the whole magazine. I find it is a very good resource on a lot of different topics.
