I woke up this morning in such a blue mood ~ life can't be all sweetness and light you know! I then proceeded to write down my thoughts and you will find these below, written in black! I certainly succeeded in making myself feel worse and the day was deteriorating quickly; and it was only 8am!
I thought to myself "hang on a minute, forget the pity party, turn this around and remember the positive". So here I go.........
HOW DO THE PARENTS (as in me!) OF A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD FEEL?
I have been thinking about this a lot......
On the bright side, it's good to think, write and get those feelings out!
What do you think Psychminded?
What do school holidays mean to the parent of a child with special needs?
This is a tough one! Realistically speaking, children with special needs require a lot of time and energy. I really miss having time to *myself*. On the bright side, it's lovely to slow down and have that extra time to spend with the kids
How do they feel when their friends are having family holidays?
On the bright side, you make a plan to have your own family holiday!
How do they feel when they see and hear neurotypical kids having neurotypical fun?
On the bright side, you rejoice the innocence, the laughter and the normality of it all!
How do they feel when they miss out on an invite because of their child?
On the bright side, you come to terms with the fact that your priorities have changed!
How do they feel when they accept an invite, but by choice leave their child at home?
On the bright side, you know that you have left your child in capable hands and it is good for you to have some 'normal' time!
How do the parents of special needs children feel when people are unkind about their situation?
On the bright side, you dump those people who are a waste of head space!
How do they feel when people actually don't take into account their situation?
On the bright side, you realise that they don't live your situation so therefore, they don't understand your situation!
I am sure that Mr and Mrs Joe Public have NO idea what having a special needs child entails!
On the bright side...... hmmmm, I can't answer this one just yet ~ however, I certainly wouldn't wish for them to be in the same situation!
How do they feel when frowned upon by Joe Public?
On the bright side, you learn that by being gracious you win friends, sympathy and understanding (even though you may be secretly wishing that their pubic hair is infested by 1000 camel fleas!) hee hee! :)
What are their pet hates and what to do about them!
No bright side for this one. My pet hate is when people speak to Nick like he is a toddler ~ get a grip people, look at the kid, he is going to be 13 next year!
Enough already. Short post. Light post. Am still chuckling over the camel fleas! Life is good ~ 80% of the time!
My two kids just chilling!
Hmmm... nice post, but then... isn't it strange how we (parents of children with special needs) always see the "bright side of life" - even in such hard times and situations... maybe this is just one kind of blessing we were given to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely to see how they love each other... This is jet just another blessing... :o)
Great to look at the bright side of life, something I'm continuously trying to do (I may borrow the camel fleas thought though for when I'm having a bad day lol) and I love LOVE the video, so good to see :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the video of the two - thanks for sharing :-) Sure ain't a toddler anymore! Holidays.... Generally mean change of routine, change of activities, change of stress levels! I read recently that the 'grieving' process of having a special needs child is lifelong and even once we have accepted many things, there will always be times that one longs for 'normalcy'... It's ok to feel blue Di. It's fabulous that you write about it and share with the greater community. It's remarkable how much you do generally look on the Bright Side. Happy Holidays! M xxx
ReplyDeletePetra, thanks for reminding me that we need to be aware of our blessings! Happy 'snowy' holiday! :)
ReplyDeleteBlue Sky, thank you for your comment, I can't get enough of watching my boys together... not sure how the big one feels about me putting the video clip on my blog!!!!
Marcelle, you are so right, grieving is life long but the distance between the blue periods get longer. Being *Bright* keeps me going, it's how I cope. Oh, and traveling!! Hugs to you xx
Do you have a camel flea supplier? Let me know! ....(just Kidding) I will try to remember to "always look on the bright side " all holidays! Merry merry xxxx
ReplyDeleteHi Angela, all I have at the moment is bora!!! Merry merry to you to. See you in 2012! xx
ReplyDeleteOOh...can I borrow the camel fleas too??! Love the dump those who are a waste of head space...excellent advice!
ReplyDeleteAnd on the bright side...what a fab video of your two handsome boys ;-)
x Jazzy
Lovely post. There are so many positive aspects of having a child with special needs yet people with NT children often fail to realise them. My child with autism has taught me so much about life that I would never had known if she'd been NT. I've learned to appreciate life much more and have learned to accept people for who they are.
ReplyDeleteCJ x
Hi Jazzy and Crystal,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your lovely comments! Always best to remain positive and upbeat... with an injection of humour!
Di - Your kids have an amazing and special bond. Wow!
ReplyDelete@Niki, as do your two beautiful girls ~ what a shame that we can't mix our gene pool!
ReplyDeleteA good friend once told me to be kind to dumb animals. That is what I do to people who do not get autism. People like that are ignorant and, until they find a heart, they will remain unteachable.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tammy, good advice! :)
ReplyDelete