I am the mother of 3 beautiful children. When I held them in my arms after they were born I understood what unconditional love was. As mothers we all share that common bond. We will always love and protect our children.
One of my children has disabilities. Having a child with disabilities doesn’t make me different than any other mother. It just makes my life different. It means that my worries are different than yours. It means that I won’t be one of those mothers you run into at little league games or hockey practice or band concerts. Instead I will be sitting in waiting rooms waiting for doctors, therapists and social workers. And at night when you are watching your favorite tv shows I’ll be hunched over a computer screen trying to find more information about my child’s disability.
When my daughter was born I had no idea how different our lives were about to become. As the months and years passed I realized that this time I was becoming a mother I never thought I could be. I learned what it really means to become a “mama bear” and stand up for your child. I learned what it means to have to put trust in other people to care for your child. I learned that some people in this world are cruel. I also learned however, that there are people in this world like angels on earth. I learned what a bad day really is. I learned not to dwell on the bad people and the bad days but rather be grateful for all the goodness that having a child with disabilities has brought into our lives. To this day as my child grows I grow as a mother.
I often hear people say it takes a special parent to raise a child with special needs. Why is that so? As different as my child is from yours and as different as my life might be from yours I am still a mother like you. Having a child with disabilities is hard. Some days are unbearable. There is constant worry and a tiredness that never goes away. But that doesn’t matter because just like you I am a mother and just like you I love my child unconditionally. Any mother would do the same. You know it and I know it too.
Happy Mothers Day to you all. We are all special, we are all the same. We all love our children unconditionally.
Princesses and Predictability 