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Shelly Rosenberg embraces life as a mother to Ronen (at right) and Brinson and Campbell (below).
Mom Next Door Shelly Rosenberg W O R D S K E L LY W O O L E Y PHOTOGRAPHY KORENA BOLDING SINNETT
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ROM THE OUTSIDE looking in, Shelly Rosenberg has led a charmed life. Most people see a successful writer and interior designer, a dream home in Lakewood, a loving husband and three beautiful children. All of that is true, but a threehour conversation with her reveals so much more.
THE SPECS
Between her three children, Rosenberg has seen nine diagnoses ranging from anxiety to Down syndrome. She raised her two daughters solo for five years after her first marriage ended. Later, when a sonogram revealed that her son Ronen would have Down syndrome, she took it hard. “I just thought to myself, Why can’t anything ever be easy?” she says. “My girls are wonderful, but they’ve never been easy because all of the things they’ve struggled with.” Instead of playing the pity card, Rosenberg is using her experience as a designer and a special needs mom to not only better her own children’s lives but also to pay it forward—in addition to launching a new business venture aimed at special needs families, she volunteers for a variety of charities and advocates for special needs
moms everywhere through informal support networks she’s helped to create. Admittedly, her “on paper” resume is pretty intimidating, but spend five minutes talking to her and you’re instantly put at ease by her lack of ego and down-to-earth nature. (In fact, you might even find yourself asking if you can be her new best friend.) After your divorce, how was life as a single mom? It
was a really dark and hard place for the first couple of years. The girls were 1 and 3 and I worked full time.
How did the girls accept your husband Barry in their life?
When Barry and I started dating, it was actually Brinson who told me he was “the one.” She said he felt like a real dad who just wanted to spend time with them instead of trying to buy their affection like some of the
AGE 48 BORN IN Fort Worth LIVES IN Lakewood ALMA MATER Texas Tech University SIGNIFICANT OTHER Barry, her husband of almost 12 years WHERE THEY MET At a UT vs. Ohio State football game, while Rosenberg was on a date with someone else OFFSPRING Daughters Brinson, 21, (who has anxiety, dyscalculia, ADHD and a reading disorder) and Campbell, 18, (who has anxiety, depression, ADHD and a reading disorder and was just recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder) and son Ronen, 7, (who has Down syndrome)
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