People think having a child with a disability is a hardship. Any disability, to varying degrees, will elicit sympathetic looks, a firm pat on the back or an unwarranted hug and probably my favorite, that little gasp, followed by an, “I’m so sorry.” PULLEEEEZZZE!! Save your pity for parents who have lost their children in some tragic way, for the homeless and destitute or for whatever natural disaster is occurring. But my family doesn’t want, or need, your pity. We are blessed. And in many ways we are blessed because of our child’s diagnosis and the wonderful things it has brought into our lives.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Some days SUCK!!! Some days I want to turn around five minutes after getting out of bed and crawl right back in and pull the covers over my head. And sometimes there are weeks of those days all strung together. Some days I do nothing but wish I had someone else’s life, anyone else. Somedays I dream about walking out the door and never looking back. Yeah there are BAD days…
But the funny thing is there are wonderful, compassionate people in our lives and now part of our family who we would never have met if not for the dreaded diagnosis. People who, when they offer to spend time with my child, I know they are doing it because they love her as much as I do and not because they feel sorry for her or our family. People I can call at 3am to talk, people who I can share my family’s struggles with but who also share in our joy. People who, years after being directly connected to my child, check in from time to time and sahr both their time and love. Yeah, our life bites! Bet you wish you had it…
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