Today I want to introduce to you- Jessica from Four Plus an Angel. Her words are amazing and so is she. I truly love reading her blog everyday. Thank you so much Jess for writing a post for my blog. You can visit Jessica’s blog by clicking the picture below.
I was so honored when Sarah asked me to guest post. She is one of those people I connected with early on in my blogging days and we have always stayed in touch. Her photography is beyond amazing and I admire the mom that she is to her to beautiful boys. There is one topic that Sarah and I now have in common. We are both parents to children with special needs. Watching Sarah go through the early phases of coming to terms with Carsyn’s diagnosis has brought back many memories and reminded me of things I have learned along the way.
When you have a child with special needs
… you will cheer for the little things. The faintest trace of a smile, the wobbly grip of a spoon and the first zip of a zipper will make your day… make your year. You will cry tears of joy and jump up and down while calling your husband at work because you, an army of therapists and a very determined little child, made this tiny milestone possible.
… you will earn your degree. At some point along the way you will discover that the doctors and teachers and therapists know a lot, but nothing compares to what you have. The months you have spent watching your baby grow, searching for answers and accepting nothing but the best, have qualified you for the highest of degrees in parenting. Everyone else will come and go but you are the constant and your honorary doctorate was completed many sleepless nights ago.
… you will learn more from your child than you could have ever imagined. Raising a child with special needs is a constant life lesson in perseverance, determination and will power. These little people can somehow rise above it all and try their hardest every day, reminding us that we have more to learn from them than they do from us, and that is exactly what they are here for.
… you will find your voice. You will begin the journey scared and overwhelmed and one day you will realize that you are not that person anymore. You have argued your case with the most qualified of specialists when your gut told you they were wrong and you have petitioned your school district for the perfect placement when you knew it was best. And you never blinked an eye, because it was for your child.
… you will pat yourself on the back. You will look at your child, breaking every barrier put in front of him and surpassing what your wildest dreams could have fathomed for his future years ago and know that you did it. You both did it.
And it was worth every single second.
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