Motherhood is a journey filled with joy, challenges, and countless sacrifices. For mothers of children with special needs, this journey can be particularly demanding in managing medical systems, navigating countless therapies, attending IEP meetings, and advocating tirelessly for services. Along the way, you have become an expert in your child’s diagnoses. It’s a unique, exhausting, and rewarding journey that is only understood by parents of children with special needs.
This Mother’s Day, we invite you to reflect on how far you’ve come. Looking back through your unique journey with your child, you’ve likely survived days you never thought you would get through. You’ve also celebrated milestones you never thought you’d reach, as well as victories big and small. You constantly research ways in which to enrich your child’s life at every stage—whether it be summer camps, sensory tools or special rec leagues. You may have unspoken fears, anxiety, and perhaps even resentment for your situation in comparison to families with “typical” developing children. You have likely reorganized your life to accommodate your child’s needs and have wrestled with the guilt for not being a “perfect” parent. Your family and your child have some unique considerations and a unique path, but they also have a steady, fierce, and resilient mother leading the way.
To the mothers we serve, we wish you a Happy Mother’s Day that celebrates the moments of joy and accomplishment in your lives—your child getting those additional minutes of services at school, graduating from ABA, saying first words, landing on a therapy or therapist that helps, finding the perfect day program, taking public transportation, trying out a job, or finding a genuine connection with a friend. Your child has reached these milestones because of you.
Ways to Support Mothers of Children with Special Needs
- Include All Children. At the end of the day, everyone just wants to belong. Invite every kid in your child’s class, if possible, to birthday parties—including the children with special needs. If you are unsure, ask the child’s parents what accommodations, if any, can be made to make sure they feel included.
- Include All Moms. Include moms of special needs children in social events—even if they decline often. Keep asking- you will help them feel less alone and provide them with a much needed break.
- Ask Questions. Ask about diagnoses, appointments, therapies. Asking questions about a child shows that you are making an effort to have a better understanding. Let your child ask questions; this allows a better understanding which cultivates compassion and inclusion.
- Listen. Be a shoulder to cry on. Don’t pretend to understand or give advice, but just lend a listening ear and a genuine hug.
