Frequently we hear and see people saying that “You must be a special person because of your child with Special Needs”. Or, “There is no way I could do what you do (implying taking care of a Special Needs child).”
I’m just a mom. I’m not a special person because my son has Autism. His having Autism or any of his other issues doesn’t make me special, it doesn’t grant me superhuman powers of patience, or increase my tolerance for craziness. I was not magically gifted with knowing how to advocate educationally and medically for my son.
I am not special. I am just a Mom who loves her son like you love yours. I have the same general weaknesses and strengths as any other person. If you had a child with Special Needs, you would find that you would be doing the same things I am, because you love your child and because you really have no other choice.
The person who is special is my son. Children without these issues can have a fun and carefree childhood. Children like my son spend their days working harder than anyone else to do things that we take for granted. Instead of spending his afternoons after school playing, his afternoons for years have been filled with therapy, and evenings filled with medical procedures, an early bedtime is pretty much mandatory or we will pay a high price the next day.
So here’s to all the fighters out there like my son, who work harder than I do just to get through a day.
