Self-directed care began in the mid 1990s and has quickly become a popular choice among parents of children with mental retardation (developmental disabilities). Self directed care allows parents to become employers of their child's supports rather than placing their child with an agency. The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of parents self-directing the care of their children with developmental disabilities. It was found that parents chose to self-direct because of dissatisfaction with agency-directed care or to get more support hours. Issues that contributed to satisfaction include excellent outcomes for their children, better information, more consistent staff, and more control and flexibility. Issues that detract from satisfaction are mainly recruiting and retaining employees. Most of the parents indicated they had little external support and were, for the most part, on their own. Parents provided insights and advice on what they learned from self-directing.