Being a special needs mom is a lot of work as it requires a lot of time and patience, but at the same time extremely rewarding as well. As a special needs mom myself, I can say we have our ups and downs, we have to deal with social, financial, and psychological issues that are impacted directly or even indirectly by our child’s diagnosis which can pave a path to a lot of personal stress. Our plates are always fuller than most moms and our whole world revolves around trying to help our kids succeed. We celebrate small wins like achieving milestones in a big way, we strive to be good moms and raise our kids so the world will be kind and compassionate to our kids in return. We’re in survival mode every day with ongoing therapies, doctor appointments, tests, procedures, and meetings that take up a lot of our physical and mental energy! We raise our kids to be strong and resilient. We may struggle daily with tantrums, behavioral issues, medical flare-ups, etc with our children but we try our best to stay calm and this is our “normal” but we face it with a smile.

          If you happen to know a special needs mom, the best way to help is to listen to them without passing any judgment, just pause and listen and make them feel validated, now that’s being supportive! Also please don’t feel compelled to ask and point out noticeable differences about our children, it may come from a place of curiosity but will cause a mom to get defensive. Not everyone is comfortable with telling their story, so please respect that. A simple act of kindness goes a long way, a smile, hug, or a surprise cup of coffee can do wonders for a special needs mom. Show compassion and empathy instead of judgment, be kind and rewind!