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A Bill of Rights for Parents of Kids with Special Needs

This is part of a post that one of my blog friends posted. It really does hit the nail on the head regarding some of the feelings a parent has when they are raising a SPECIAL child. Not a "special needs child", the needs don't define the child, but a "child WITH special needs". I am blessed by God to be deemed worthy to raise such special children!

"Here are a few of the bullet points that hit home for me:

* We have the right to expect our kids to be seen for who they are as individuals, not as labels or diagnoses.

* We have a right to trust our instincts about our kids and realize that experts don't always know best.

* We have a right to ignore the remarks, questions and stares and not give explanations or excuses for why our children are the way they are.

* We have a right to choose alternative therapies for our kids.

* We have a right to wonder “What if…” every so often.

* We have a right to react to people’s ignorance.

* We have a right to not always have our child be the poster child for his/her disability and some days be just a child.

* We have a right to go through the grieving process and realize we may never quite be "over it."

* We have a right to hope for an empty playground so we don’t have to look into another child’s eyes and answer the question, “What’s wrong with him?”

* We have a right to talk about how great our kids are when people don’t get it.

* We have the right to not always behave as inspirational icons who never complain or gripe about the sometimes awful realities of raising a child with special needs.

* We have a right to get tired of people saying, as they give that sympathy stare, "I don't know how you do it."

* We have a right to wish that sometimes things could be easier.

* We have a right to cheer like crazy anytime our children amaze us—or weep like lunatics.

* We have a right to push, push and push some more to make sure our children are treated fairly by the world.

Written by Ellen, Max's Mama"