My Story

Welcome to Barely Regulated!

Three young women sitting on a bench outdoors, smiling and laughing.

The story behind Barely Regulated spans more than a decade, but here’s the truth at the heart of it.

When we adopted our youngest daughter from China, we never imagined that 7 weeks after arriving home she would be diagnosed with severe nonverbal autism.

At the time she was 3.5 and I was devastated, BUT…

For a long time, life looked pretty similar to other toddler Moms.

Messy eating, lots of dependence. We fit in.

We adopted again in 2019 and as my girls have gotten older, I had to come to terms with the reality that I am not just a Mom, I’m a caregiver.

For life.

While my oldest daughter, who has a physical disability, will grow up and live independently, my youngest will be with us for life.

And life looks different for those of us parenting humans that will need life long care.

As I started to speak about our struggles on instagram, I was met with messages and comments from others sharing how hard this life is, how alone they feel, how many are doing it entirely alone.

95% of the time, my daughters’ care falls solely on myself and my husband, breaks are rare, but we are blessed with some help from time to time which is a luxury compared to many.

I became a full time online entrepreneur in 2017 after I needed to stay home with my little girl post diagnosis.

And when I decided to start a clothing line, I knew I had to have a mission, and the mission was clear.

To be able to support my family but also…

Support those that need help doing a job most wont ever understand.

Through clothing that brings humor to the human experience and helps every Mom trying to do better feel less alone, Barely Regulated supports mental health and resources for caregivers all over the US and Canada.

My girls showed me a life that I had never imagined I would live but I’m lucky to have.

My desire to give back to this community and share a message of inclusion goes beyond just words on a t- shirt, but in a grass roots effort to change the lives of those doing parenthood at an Olympic level.

To Caregivers-

Lacy