“When you ask a special needs parent how they’ve been and they roll their eyes, yawn, and say, ‘Eh, it’s been rough, honestly.’ It might be our pride or that we feel guilty. If you have been wondering how you can help, know that it is simple. Show up. Keep showing up.”
‘Please, sit with us. Text us. Stop by and insist on taking our kids for the day because I promise we won’t ask for help. But mama, we need it.’: Mom says all a special needs parent needs is for you to ‘show up’
‘My spouse’s needs were put to the side. I focused solely on my child’s needs. So, we ended up getting a divorce.’: Woman grows apart from husband after daughter’s rare genetic disorder diagnosis, enters 40s with ‘my best foot forward’
“I got married, moved to a different city, had a baby, moved back to my hometown, made new friends, lost old ones, and got divorced. I was given news that would change my life, my daughter’s life and my ex-husband’s life forever. She was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. The expression, ‘you need to put your oxygen mask on first,’ simply does not apply. My husband and I got divorced.”
‘Is he saying he’s going to hurt himself or others? Our waitlist is over a year out.’ My jaw hit the floor. One YEAR?!’: Mom fed up with lacking healthcare coverage for son dealing with grief trauma, ‘The system is so flawed’
“I eagerly dialed the number. ‘My son lost both of his parents when he was 2. He’s grieving. I need guidance, and would appreciate an evaluation.’ I want to start helping him NOW instead of LATER. ‘Okay ma’am, our waitlist is over a year out.’ I was incredibly defeated. I had no idea this would be so hard to find help for my child. No clue at all. I have this inner voice that won’t quiet down. ‘Get help, Molly!’”
‘I’m thankful for the way you take care of us. I kissed a lot of frogs before I found you.’: Woman pens emotional tribute to ‘absolute gem’ husband, ‘I thank God for you every day’
“I’m thankful for every time you rub my back until I fall asleep at night. For every time our kids’ eyes light up when you walk through the door. The way you protect and provide for our family. Thank you for every giggle, every touch, every heart emoji you send. For everything that makes me feel safe in a world full of worries. I thank God for you every day.”
‘It’s nothing. Don’t worry.’ She had abnormal, starry blue eyes. A checkup for a mild cough changed our lives forever.’: Mom births baby with Williams Syndrome, ‘genetic disorder or not, we will love her more each day’
“Her low birth weight was dismissed. The doctor told us her heart murmur would ‘dissipate on its own’ and she would be just fine. Little did we know, these were the very first signs. As much as I wanted to convince myself nothing would be wrong, I had a gut-wrenching feeling. My mama heart just knew. They failed us.”
‘What does your son want to be when he grows up?’ ‘Um, well. He’s autistic.’ Silence. I could tell she was uncomfortable.’: Mom to son with autism encourages us to ‘share, normalize’ differences
“There it was. A question I couldn’t really answer without sharing autism. After just telling me all about the things her grandson is doing and will most likely achieve, she felt bad for me. I knew this would happen. It always does. People hear autism, nonverbal, lifelong care and feel bad. I get it. I’m not offended. But his world is not less. It’s just different.”
‘How is he? Does he have 10 fingers and toes?’ He replied, ‘Actually, no he doesn’t.’ They looked concerned.’: Mom surprised by son’s cleft hands diagnosis, ‘None of these ‘extra’ ultrasounds noticed my child’s hands’
“I’ve always known the ‘middle finger’ could cause a stir, but I never knew the lack of one could cause a bigger stir. When I got back to my room, they all looked concerned. The nurses ‘had never seen anything like this,’ and thought he’d be a good excuse for show and tell. I saw a beautiful, perfect baby boy, but the nurses and doctors saw something ‘different.’”
‘Penny is nonverbal, but please don’t make her a prop. She is not your ‘disabled best friend.’: Dad touched after stranger’s rare ‘act of empathy’ for daughter with Aicardi syndrome, ‘the world needs more people like her’
“I’ve experienced too many instances of people taking selfies with Penny and posting them all over social media. Penny is not your ‘Disabled Best Friend,’ or a chapter in your Facebook Story. Please don’t exploit a non-existent relationship with a disabled child in a wheelchair to demonstrate to your friends and family how wonderful you are. She just wants to belong.”
‘Gianna would love to talk to you.’ I instantly regretted my decision. ‘Do I really want her at my house?’ We set a date.’: Mothers form unlikely bond through special needs daughters, ‘Everyone is struggling. Some of us just hide it better’
“She thought we should meet. Would it be awkward? Texting a stranger? I knew what I needed to do first. Look her up on Facebook. I immediately found her page and was instantly intimidated by her photo. Her profile picture was of her on their wedding day. She was beautiful, thin, gorgeous. There were no photos of her daughter’s face. Everything was vague. Did she think she was Blue Ivy? What’s the deal with that? I am a chronic over-sharer. Surely we wouldn’t have anything in common. Oh how wrong I was.”
‘My autistic son had an atomic meltdown. ‘Can we so something special?’ My heart is so happy.’: Mom in awe after railway staff’s acts of kindness, ‘you truly made a difference in our lives’
“My son is autistic and LOVES trains. Tonight, we were supposed to ride the Polar Express. He was so excited he beat his dad and I up pretty badly. Finally, I had to say, ‘Let’s go back to the hotel.’ I went into the bathroom and silently cried. I wanted this so badly for him. Then, there was a knock on the door. ‘Maintenance!’ They wanted to do something special for our family.”
