Especially if you are new to living the special needs life, you may be wondering if you have what it takes to be a special needs parent or caregiver. You may look at other people’s families and wonder if you have the ability to really DO THIS. Special needs parents are warriors. How can you be one too?
We aren’t born this way. Special needs parents are MADE. They say that we are strong. They say that WE are “special.” They say that we are exceptional. They are right. But we didn’t KNOW this about ourselves, until, well, we didn’t have a choice.
We are flexible, resilient, resolved, strong, loving, caring, knowledgeable fighters who protect those we love the most with a level of dedication that many can only dream of. We get knocked down, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, over and over and over. The difference between us and them? We ALWAYS get back up. We HAVE to. Someone important is depending on us.
We go above and beyond what is required while always thinking of how, in our own opinions, we didn’t measure up to our own expectations and we should have done better.
We get to a level of exhaustion that you don’t even know exists.
When we finally have mastery of our situation, I can almost guarantee, the situation will change and morph in a way we could never predict. And then we establish our new normal. And then we do it again. And again.
We LOVE on a level that many don’t aspire to.
It is the best and one of the toughest jobs in the world. It is 24/7/365 in a way that being a parent of a typical child just isn’t.
We are rockstars. We are warriors. We are always ready to fight for the win.
Whether we have slept or not. Whether we are motivated or not. Whether we haven’t had a break in years, or not.
This is not a gig for the faint of heart.
If you are wondering if you can do this, the answer is YES. It is a sign of strength and intelligence to question it – it’s a huge undertaking. But you can.
I am so proud of us. Whether you are just beginning your special needs life or have been in it for a while, you are on an incredible journey. You WILL succeed.
All you need is your incredible child and you. Dig down deep and love them with everything you have. I promise, the rest will fall into place.
Want more? I have released a book! It is written especially for you to uplift you as a caregiver, soothe you, help you navigate and, most importantly, help you to be OK. Take a look!