There’s no doubt about it, becoming a parent changes you. When you have your first child, it becomes very obvious very quickly that we ourselves are not the centre of the universe. We become providers, teachers, protectors, supporters and so many other things depending on the day. Having children means our world is constantly turned upside down but through all of the good times and the hard times, we experience a love like we never imagined.
It doesn’t happen to everyone, but your beloved child being given an unexpected diagnosis is something that will totally rock you to your core. It changes everything and you grieve for the child and the life you thought you would have. Being told that you will be going on a journey you hadn’t planned creates so much fear. When you first receive the news, the whole diagnosis is all about you and you might find yourself questioning everything. Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? How is this going to affect my family? How will I cope?
Suddenly, the focus is no longer on you anymore and you begin worrying about your child and their future. How will they cope? What do they need? Will people be kind? Will they be accepted? You come to realise how much this child needs you and it’s then when you look at that little face that you find strength. Strength to put your fears aside and to just accept what you have been given. When you find this acceptance, you move forward and get on with the job of giving your child the best life possible and this involves a lot of learning and a lot of personal growth.
I am very excited to be relaunching my blog. I have already written many posts in the past which have helped me to grieve and to accept my own daughter, Chloe’s diagnosis of Down Syndrome. The grief and acceptance are things I have overcome and I am now on a journey of learning and personal growth.
Having a child with special needs is something a lot of families don’t get to experience so we need to see this as an opportunity for personal growth and growth within our relationship with our partner and our family unit.
At some point on your journey, you may come to realise, like I have, that maybe we are the lucky ones.
Being a parent can be hard work and no one knows this more than a parent who has a child with special needs. I want to create a community for us all. A place where we can celebrate our successes, share our highs and lows and inspire each other to reconnect with who we are and what we want to achieve for ourselves – in our work, in our relationships and in our lives. We are so much more than parents raising a child with special needs.
If you don’t have a child with special needs, please still read along as it may help you to better understand our lives and our children. We may experience more daily challenges than you, however, overall we all want the sames things. As parents, we all want our kids to be healthy, happy and to be accepted by the world. As individuals, we all just want to be the best that we can be.
Leave a Reply