New Year's resolutions for the special needs parent
What is a resolution? The dictionary tells us a resolution is firm determination; a course of action determined or decided on. Us special needs parents resolve everyday to do the best we can for our children with disabilities. Rather than looking for new resolutions, let's review those we live by and others we need to dust off and use again.
Dawn Villarreal, One Place for Special Needs
1. Keep your faith in your abilities as a parent.
2. Encourage your daughter to explore her world when she’d rather stay home where it’s safe and comfortable.
3. Challenge your son to live up to his potential rather than the low expectations others put on him.
4. Find ways to enjoy life even when it feels like the world’s weight is on your shoulders.
5. Channel your inner creativity to find original solutions.
6. Get out in the community as a family so we can be seen, not forgotten by society.
7. Teach daily living skills now to support independence in the future.
8. Be patient with ignorant store patrons, relatives and the like for they know not what they’re talking about.
9. Look for ways to assist your son at home because accommodations are not just for school.
10. Remember your sense of humor for it is the glue to your sanity.
11. Insist doctors and other staff see your son as a person who deserves the courtesy to be talked to rather than about in third person.
12. Start asking for help and be surprised at how many wonderful, supportive people are happy to give you a hand.
13. Involve your child even though it's quicker to do it yourself.
14. View the world from your son’s perspective before becoming angry or impatient.
15. Advocate on your daughter’s behalf at school because, if you don’t speak up, she will never get the proper support she needs.
16. Be knowledgeable because you owe it to your child to be informed.
17. Recognize that support comes from many places, not just your family.
18. Reach out to another special needs family who can benefit from your advice and kind words.
19. Spread acceptance and awareness in your community to open doors and eliminate injustice for those with disabilities.
20. Let your child know she is loved.
About the writer
Dawn Villarreal runs One Place for Special Needs, a national disability resource that lets you find local and online resources, events and even other families in your neighborhood. She is also moderator of Autism Community Connection, a Yahoo group for families in Illinois. Dawn has two awesome kids and strives for a day when communities can effectively reach out to support all special needs. Reprint permission granted if you include: Reprinted with permission from One Place for Special Needs http://www.oneplaceforspecialneeds.com