Letters to special needs parents 1 (a series)

Dear Special Needs Parent,


    You wake up in the morning with a jolt. You get those boxing gloves on because it is a fight. Maybe the fight is at the breakfast table. It is at the bus or it is just getting dressed but eventually you will fight today.

You are not alone

You catalog the emails or calls that must be made today. There are deadlines and paperwork to be sent or your child doesn't get in or doesn't get this. You have appointments that are on the other side of town that you have to get to. Your child is having the worst day since yesterday. But you must get to the therapy, therapy, therapy.

You are not alone.

You realize around lunch time that you might have forgotten to eat breakfast. Your sugar level is low. The 6 cups of coffee that you downed has made you jittery. You have to get them to eat.  It was so hard to get that breakfast down them. Lunch might be even harder. You probably won't eat until they do. It might be awhile.

You are not alone


You finally got something to eat that actually has made you tired. That cannot do. You make some more coffee. The afternoon bares more than usual. You might get the child in a nap which means you have time to get appointments made and emails responded too. Also pickup the disaster that has been left in the wake. But the paperwork is first. It is never ending. You get something finished and a fresh pile ends up in an email or mail.

You are not alone.


You wait endlessly for approval on whether or not your child can sneeze. They can't play soccer or a game with out endless amount of paperwork and waiting lists. You check FB as your friends with ease just sign up their children for whatever they want. You have to look months in advance, get approval and funding for what is an extreme amount of money. Finally after 6 months or maybe more you can actually do that activity safely.

You are not alone


You have been pretty social most of your life. Found that you can get along with anybody. But you find yourself not wanting to be around people. They talk about things that just are not the same. You have no input that matters. All you know is different from them. They talk about TV which you haven't seen in sometime. They talk about shopping with ease. They have discomforts but they are no where near yours. And you find yourself drooling over their discomforts. Finding yourself wishing for their problems. You don't wish to insult them by saying that I wish for that. But as you are daydreaming it may slip out. You find yourself uncomfortable and avoiding the situation all together.

You are not alone


You at the end of the day are exhausted. You think boy that kid has to be exhausted as well. But the kid is jumping off the walls in no mood to sleep. You know what that means, it is going to be a rough night. You make more coffee. Hoping that you can keep them safe always. One day at a time is all you do. It has to be that way. Sometimes it might be by hour or the minute depending on the day.

You are not alone


Take heart parents. Your child is important. They make up something in this world that we cannot. We are the protectors of these special people. It is a blessing to be called upon this way. I want you to know that you are never alone. You might feel like your family is isolated and separate. However, the same feelings run through so many across the world. So many meet the same struggle. Please know that the same thoughts that run through your head are running through so many more. We are together in our fight to be protectors. God Bless you!