The number one piece of advice that you get from well meaning doctors, nurses, disabled adults, the garbage man, the waitress and your family is………
treat your special needs child like every other kid.
Yeah, here is the thing about that-they are not like every other child:
- Every child doesn’t struggle to get dressed in the morning because their legs won’t cooperate.
- Every child doesn’t have an average of 2-3 surgeries or hospital stays a year.
- Every child doesn’t have to turn down invitations to friends houses because they have too many stairs.
- Every child doesn’t have learning disabilities that make learning certain subjects next to impossible.
- Every child doesn’t have a major therapy goal to learn how to pour milk.
- Every child doesn’t spend their birthdays, christmas, halloweens, being monitored for infections
- Every child doesn’t have to be worried that the thing they are allergic to is hidden in every day items
So, this is my collective scream at everyone who loves to pass on that tidbit of well meaning advice. You know, the one who honestly has no idea what the hell they are talking about? I would gladly treat my kid like he is just like every other kid. But the fact is, he isn’t. BUT, just like every other MOM I love my child more than myself and that is why I bend over backwards to make his life the best it can be.