Category: Blog

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!

          It’s important to teach kids (and adults) how to handle and appreciate diversity, past the obvious differences in cultures, religions, social backgrounds, and race. What about a disability and an obvious difference in appearance due to a disability and medical condition? Being a Life Coach and having a son who is special needs, I wish people were more mindful of these special differences and knew a better way to handle and approach this group. Let’s teach our children to appreciate diversity in all shapes and forms, planting these kind and compassionate seeds at a young age can also increase empathy and respect among peers at school.

          Let’s show our kids that differences can also be beautiful and not necessarily bad. Let’s approach kids with a trach, wheelchair, eye patch, feeding tube, oxygen tank, etc. with a smile instead of a stare. The way we handle these kids has a significant impact on how they view themselves. NO child likes to feel different and as they get older, they are more and more aware of their differences, it’s our job as a society to give these special kids a chance to fit in, nobody likes to be excluded! From a young age, ignoring differences and focusing on the commonality can really be helpful. At last, awareness is important, educate teachers and peers if your child has a special condition, this can really bridge the gap in the classroom setting to promote a happy and understanding environment at school.