Date Posted: 4/21/2006

It is a rainy day in the fall of 2004 and UNF softball player Gwen Williams is getting one of her first experiences with the Parenteau family. As she and teammate Ashley Parenteau are heading into a local store, Ashley's brother, Taylor, and mom, Theresa, aren't trailing far behind.

It's at that moment when Theresa notices an elderly man having some sort of physical difficulty and struggling to get across the road. "[Theresa] just takes control," Williams said. "She stops traffic and takes this man.

Meanwhile, me and Ashley were walking into the store and didn't realize what was going on. Taylor is rolling in, making noises in the store, [Theresa] is outside controlling everything. I'm thinking this is normal for them?"

What passes for normal in the Parenteau family might seem a bit chaotic for others. Then again most "normal" families don't have a 16-year-old who has to move around in a wheel chair most of the time because of a rare neurogenetic condition that also causes him frequent seizures and has left him with only a few words he can communicate verbally.

Most "normal" families don't have to separate for months at a time to take their youngest child across the country because his hometown doctors can't diagnose what's wrong with him.

Most "normal" families don't plan their vacation around a national softball tournament and most "normal" families don't have a brother and sister who genuinely care for each as much as Ashley and Taylor do.

The only thing that was missing from the trip to the store was Ashley's father, Keith, and his fun-loving demeanor, coupled with his analytical view on how to improve the situation.

"Even the dog, Charlie, fits in perfect," Williams said.

While the Parenteaus might not fit the Norman Rockwell portrait of family life, they have molded their own structure, with each part, family pet and all, blending together to create a life that works.

By Shawn Lafata
UNF Athletic Communications

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